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Most bridges are built to be structurally sound. We cross them, we’re safe, and all is well. Other bridges, however, are not afforded such luxury. These bridges are terrifying, unsafe, and often contemptible down to their very core. What follows is a list of the most extreme, off-putting, and—ultimately—terrible bridges ever built.
Hanging bridges are some of the most treacherous around. They lift you up to heights you’d often rather not bare. But, if you’re trying to cross over a valley, or into the part of town, it can sometimes be necessary. This happens all the time in places with heavy mountain ranges.
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Nepal is one of these places. Home to the highest peaks of the Himalayas, there are plenty of locations in this little area that offer great heights and terrible bridges. One of them is the Hanging Bridge of Ghasa. While it does have meshing that would protect you from falling through its ropes, it is still high up and windy. Too high, if you ask us.
When a bridge doesn’t have safety meshing on its side, it’s normally not something you would choose to cross. This is especially true if that bridge suffers from high winds. But, some choose to do so and it baffles our mind. The Trift Bridge is one of these bridges better left uncrossed.
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Traversing over a few glaciers of the Swiss Alps, this bridge stands at a lofty 328 feet tall. If you would like to check it out, you can make your way over to the town of Gadmen. Built in 2004, the original construction didn’t have many stabilizing cables. Fortunately, in 2009, this short-sighted decision was remedied with a few that fortify.
Other than the cold, Ukraine has much to offer. One of these things is a hefty dose of fear. When crossing the Ai Petri Bridge, for instance, you will realize what we mean. The bridge is loftily elevated, crossing from one mountainous peak to another. If you didn’t think this would be a scary thing, clearly you haven’t hiked.
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Located in the Crimean Mountains, the bridge crosses over a canyon that is something like 4,200 feet. That’s a long fall to the bottom. What’s even more unsettling about this bridge is the fact that it experiences a great deal of wind. This isn’t something you want to realize after you’ve already made your way to the top. So please be glad we told you once you’re up there.
Suspension bridges can be, dare we say, suspenseful. While yes, they make it easier to traverse from one cliff face to another, they also induce fear in most people who would like to cross them. This is especially true when they’re unreasonably high in the air. If you are craving a break from a life of boring commutes and uninspiring freeways, take adrive through the Royal Gorge.
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The Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado boasts a breathtaking view. Earning a rating as one of the highest suspension bridges in the contiguous United States, this 1929 bridge crosses 955 feet of sheer terror. It did, however, make crossing the Arkansas River just a little bit less treacherous. Some people consider the perilous height well worth the scenery.
Some bridges aren’t necessarily feats of marvelous engineering, but instead feats of do-it-yourself technology. These monkey bridges in Vietnam are one such invention. Scattered all over Vietnam, the bridges enable you to get into marshland homes, across rice paddies, and all sorts of other things. You may label these bridges as dangerous transport, but locals of the river banks call it routine.
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That’s not to say these bridges aren’t precarious. Minimally constructed (often from just one long stick of bamboo), the makeshift bridges make everyday commerce a little easier than firing up a motorboat. Needless to say, if you lose your balance on one of these things, the results would not likely be pretty.
If you haven’t noticed, one of the most terrifying aspects of most bridges is height. So, naturally, we might ask ourselves this: what is the highest bridge on Earth? And the answer to this question should clearly be a terrifying bridge. And guess what—it is.
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The Sidu River Bridge in China is the highest bridge in the world. It stands at an imposing 1,600 feet above ground, crossing from one end of a valley to another. The bridge connects two parts of the country that used to be difficult to traverse because of their deep mountain ranges. If you’re scared of heights, this isn’t a bridge you would like to cross.
Some bridges aren’t actually as dangerous as they first appear. The Canopy Walk in Ghana is one such bridge. While it may at first appear like it’s dangerous beyond reason, the bridge is actually reasonably constructed such that you likely won’t die if you cross it. This is quite the relief.
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Among the safety features that this bridge maintains includes things like aluminum wires, safety meshing, and thick boards to walk across. The only real danger with this bridge would come from dangling over the edge. And, presumably, this isn’t something you’d like to do when hanging 40 feet in the air.
Many people go to Japan to experience the rich culture. They have incredible cuisine, some of the most ancient buildings, and traditions highlighting things like the samurai and geisha. But other than this, Japan is also home to some of the most terrifying bridges ever to exist. The most salient of these is the Eshima Ohashi Bridge.
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The Eshima Ohashi Bridge is something akin to a precipitous cliff. It ascends and drops a staggering 144 feet with a gradient that will make you palms dance with sweat. Having been completed in 2004, however, the road is relatively safe. It has, in other words, been built with some of the most modern safety features the world of tech-engineering has to offer.
Some of the bridges that qualify as the most exquisitely terrifying aren’t built by man—or at least not in the way you probably think. These root bridges in India, for instance, are structured in a way such to use the natural root system of trees. Now, if these don’t look sturdy to you, that’s because they likely aren’t.
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But, if you need to cross a local river or stream and this is all there is, you better buckle up and let it happen. If you don’t, you might just have to find a long, circuitous way around. Sometimes it’s better to just deal with the vertigo induced by lofty heights and walk your way along, step by step, across the shaky bridge. Sometimes it’s better to just turn around.
One thing we’ve yet to mention on this bridge yet is the glass bridge. These, as it might seem from the surface, are perfectly constructed such to evoke fear. Not only are they too high to consider sane, but they’re also plated with glass underneath them. Because of this, you can practically taste your fear with each step.
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One such terrifying suspension bridge is the Glass Bridge in China. Located in one of the most beautiful parks in the world—the Shiniuzhai National Geological Park—this bridge scares the great many who dare to cross it each year. The bridge was so popular that it had to be closed to the public temporality. It’s now back and ready to accomodate all those who want to cross a bridge with the word “glass” in the name.
Of the few bridges we’ve talked about in Japan, some will give you shaky legs more than others. This bridge, the Musou Tsuribashi Bridge, might be the scariest among them. Built in the 1950s, the bridge has suffered several decades of weathering and other natural processes of decay. Because of this, many consider it unsafe to cross.
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Located in the Southern Japanese Alps, this bridge is made from a few wires and even a greater few planks. When you cross, then, you might want to make sure you hold on. If you’re afraid of heights, the look down paired with the bedraggled nature of the bridge, will surely induce an unhealthy paralysis of limb.
Most things that one would do 9,842 feet above ground are enough to induce fear. One of the most salient of these things is crossing bridges. This bridge on Mount Titlis in Switzerland offers such fear. Dangling precariously over many peaks of the Swiss Alps, this bridge is enough to intimidate even the most reckless dare-devil.
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Called Titlis Cliff Walk, this bridge earns its name as the highest suspension bridge in Europe. It offers splendid views, breezy drafts, and dizzying views of the surrounding mountain ranges. Opened in December of 2012, this bridge has scared many over the years. If you wish, it can scare you, too.
Norway is widely known as one of the most beautiful places. It has rolling hills, precipitous mountains, and some of the most breath-taking promontories around. But among all of the beauty lays some of the terror. The Storseisundet Bridge in Norway is one of these terrifying things.
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Because of the terrible things that this road inspires in the mind of those who cross it (i.e., an unrelenting fear of heights and hairpin turns), the road has become a spot for the fearless tourist. If you’d like to experience some thrills, then, this might be the road for you. It takes you through steep grades and sharp drops. Just prepare yourself for the mental turmoil that will surely follow.
Russia is home to many things. It holds some of the most stupendously cold environments known to man, including places like central Siberia and the River Indigirka. But it’s also home to some of the most petrifying bridges ever to have been constructed. One of these bridges is the Vitim River Bridge.
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The Vitim River Bridge is barely one car in length, which makes it literally impossible to turn around on. It is also consistently covered in ice and sleet. But beyond that, the road is unmaintained, meaning that if you want to cross it, you’ll have to deal with the unsavory fact that the planks beneath are weathered and old. If you plan to cross, we offer you luck.
Despite its name, the Bridge of Immortals in Huang Shang China is anything but. If you’re looking for a clear dose of your mortality, in other words, all you need to do is peer from the ledge of this most terrifying bridge. While we don’t literally recommend that you do this, the sights will scary you immeasurably.
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If you are looking for such a sight, however, you might want to make your way to Yellow Mountain. Here, you will find the bridge crossing from one granite bluff to another. When you cross, you will see why the bridge has made our list. The look down offers views of the most precipitous freefall you could possibly imagine.
Costa Rica has already made our list for one of its lamentable bridges. But how about another? Yes, the Montenegro Rainforest crossing of peril is another. While it’s a great bridge for viewing the natural splendor of the Costa Rican rainforest, it also offers those with a fear of heights their most tangible hatred.
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This bridge, known simply as the “hanging” bridge, is one likely to scare most who would cross it. But, if you can take the heights, the beautiful crossing offers many astounding views of the surrounding forest. And herein lays the beauty. But to get here, you have to deal with an elevation that might be hard to handle.
Ireland has far more than potatoes to offer the world. It has beautiful promontories that end in beautiful blue seas, sheer cliff faces, and a history that can both shock and awe. But along with some of this more natural beauty comes bridges that will crush your sanity.
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One of these bridges is the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. In its entirety, the bridge stretches around 66 feet in length, connecting a beautiful island on one side to the promontory on the other. It stands around 100 feet off the ground, facing jagged rocks at its beginning and end. If you plan to cross, cross safely.
Sometimes, to cross from one end of a river to another, you need to hold on to a thin wire while walking upon another. And sometimes, a small misstep to one side of the other will send you plunging into the vicious depths. This is the case with the Mekong River Crossing in China.
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Located in several different countries, including places like China, Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia, the river turns from scary to scarier. This is especially true if you have to cross it. In some places, for instance, there is nothing but a thin wire that transports you from one side to the other. And to this bridge, we give a resounding and resolute no thanks.
France is home to things as familiar as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and countless other art museums and architecturally significant buildings. But it’s also home to one of the most terrifying bridges known to humanity. This bridge is the Millau Viaduct.
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Earning its soup as another one of the tallest bridges around, the Millau Viaduct stands at an imposing 1,125 feet above ground. But beyond this, if you do find yourself crossing the bridge you’ll have to continue upon its scary heights for an unconscionable 8,000 feet. Let’s hope you chose to drive, for a nice walk is out of the question.
Pakistan is home to some of the most beautiful mountain ranges that exist. Among these includes peaks like K2, Nanga Parbat, and the Trango Towers. Each of these peaks is just as beautiful as they are high. Some of them, however, are also home to some of the most terrifying bridges.
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The Hussaini Hanging Bridge, for instance, is one such bridge. Crossing from one end of Borit Lake to another, the bridge is constructed in one of the most intimidating ways possible. Built from ramshackle splinters of wood and thin, rusty climbing wires, the thing is better left uncrossed. Unfortunately, some have considered the bridge a test of will. And to this, we say no thanks.
Some roads are terrifying beyond reason. This Plank Road in the Sky of China is one such road. Consisting of a breathtakingly thin four planks of wood, this road-embedded-in-the-mountains is something not for most. Even if you’re not afraid of heights, the long stretch of terror will induce you to fear for your life.
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It stands a horrible 7,000 feet high along the precipitous drop of Mount Hua. Fortunately, the thing comes equipped with a line to which you can attach a climbing harness. If you do fall, then, at least you’ll have a safety rope keeping you from a precipitous death. Still, this is not a bridge we would travel willingly.
When a bridge is replete with shaky planks and vines that insinuate a jungle DIY attitude, it’s best you stay away. Unfortunately for those who need to cross the Iya-gawa river in Japan, they can’t avoid it. And this is where we get our next terrifying bridge: the Iya Kazurabashi Bridge.
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The bridge is definitely better left uncrossed. Each plank that you need to walk on is separated by something like a foot a space. If this doesn’t make you wince in fear, you probably aren’t picturing it right. And for that, I would say stare at this photo a little bit longer. It is definitely one of the most awful bridges to make this list.
The Taman Negara Canopy Walkway in Malaysia is one of those bridges you cross just to say you did so. It’s also one of those that will induce much fear as you do so. The bridge is thin, long, and unrelentingly scary. If you do intend on crossing, you might want to hold on tight. The journey will be a long one.
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Stretching an abominable 1,700 feet, this bridge is one for the ages. If you weren’t scared of heights, now is the time to remedy that. What lies below this most terrifyingly thin bridge is miles of dense, lush forest. So maybe if you fall you will at least hit some trees on your way down—if you’re lucky, that is.
Again, some of the bridges on this list wouldn’t be crossable by even the most brazen adventurer. The Keshwa Chaca Bridge in Peru is one such bridge. Made from thick strands of woven grass, the bridge has endured a half-millennium of weathering and other processes of natural deterioration—yet still it stands.
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To build this bridge, many had to braid together small strands of grass together to form the base. And then from there they had to weave this into a massively long and durable bridge. Somehow they managed to do it. Still, we would be a bit too afraid to cross this one. Grass isn’t as strong as steel, ya know?
The Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of the more safe to have made this list. Still, however, it can be considered terrifying. Stretching a lengthy 460 feet, the Canadian bridge is home to something around 800,000 visitors a year. Beneath the bridge lays what you might expect: lush forests and rapid waters.
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The bridge was initially built in 1889 by a Scottish engineer, George Grab Mackay. Fortunately, the bridge was reconstructed in the 1950s, fortifying its safety measures, making it one of the more crossable bridges around. And for this, we can thank the Canadians. They sure know how to build.
Some parts of Mexico are places you would love to visit. In the Yucatan, for instance, you have beautiful cenotes that have become a hotspot for tourists to explore. You also have the Baja California Peninsula, which covers some of the warmest waters with the warmest weather. But it also holds some unsavory things.
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The Puente de Qjuela bridge in Mexico, for instance, offers more visions of fear than it does paradise. The bridge, formerly used by a local mining town, has been closed because of its perilousness. Finished in 1898, the bridge enabled miners to cross one end of a gorge to another. The location has since been reopened as a tourist attraction. Again, no thanks.
Suspension bridges aren’t always an easy thing to build. Not only are they amazing feats of engineering, but they’re also feats of daunting heights. And this couldn’t be more the case with the Longjiang Suspension Bridge in China. Ranking as one of the tallest and longest bridges in China, the thing is not something to mess with.
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It took five years to build, and can be found in Yunnan, China. We tell you this so that you’ll know where to avoid if you have a terrible fear of heights. In total, the bridge stretches something like an abominable 3,900 feet long. To phrase it differently: that’s 3,900 feet of sheer terror. No thanks.
Costa Rica is the destination of many tourists worldwide. Whether you’re seeking a destination for your honeymoon, a place to zipline through the jungle, or just to enjoy some major beach vibes, it has you covered. One thing that it does not have you covered on, however, is the construction of the Quepos Bridge.
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The Quepos Bridge, otherwise known as the Oh-My-God bridge, is one of the most abominable creations ever made. Constructed by the Bananera Company in the 1930s, the bridge was built to move a train from the port of Quepos more inland. Fortunately, the bridge has collapsed and is no longer functional. Yes, it’s terrible.
Other than the Florida Keys, the secret bunker locations, and the white, sandy beaches, Florida is also home to some of the most treacherous bridges. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, despite its name, is one such bridge. Spanning from one end of Tampa Bay to the other, this bridge stretches an astonishing 21,877 feet.
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While the modern version of the bridge is actually safe, its initial 1980 construction was not. This early iteration was too close to the actual water of Tampa Bay. And because of this, a ship had crashed into it only seven years after it was opened. The crash was devastating and killed 35 people. Now, however, the road is safe. Thank, goodness.
Some bridges don’t exactly strike would-be crossers as finished. The U Bein Bridge in Myanmar is one such bridge. Crossing from one end of the Taungthaman Lake to another, this bridge is dirty, disheveled, and unequipped with safety mesh or netting. Because of this, it is something quite scary.
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The bridge is made of teakwood, a type of hardwood derived from the tropical teakwood tree. It is the longest bridge of the teakwood caliber, stretching an astounding 3/4 miles. Having been initially constructed in 1850, this bridge looks like it has undergone very few innovations since its original conception. And to this we say ugh.