FIVE BRIDGES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE

Opened 1932

In 1825, convict and renowned architect Francis Greenway wrote a proposal for a bridge spanning Sydney’s harbour, saying it would “give an idea of strength and magnificence that would reflect credit and glory on the colony and the mother country”. Just over a century later, the largest steel arch bridge on the planet, nicknamed the “coathanger”, opened. Today, the bridge is up there with Australia’s leading tourist attractions, and you can climb, cycle or walk across the bridge, or glide underneath it on a harbour cruise.

THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE (SAN FRANCISCO)

Opened 1937

From the early 1800s, the only viable way to access San Francisco from the north was via a short, very bumpy ferry crossing (taking around 20 minutes). A bridge was discussed for many decades, but construction only began in 1933. The art-deco creation of chief engineer Joseph Strauss and architect

Irving Morrow opened five years later. It’s probably the most photographed bridge in the world – and one of the wonders of the modern world, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers – the Golden Gate Bridge is a tourist attraction in itself. But it also forms a vital part of one of the greatest road trips, the Pacific Coast Highway or State Route 1, which runs from southern California to north Washington.

SKYE BRIDGE (MAINLAND SCOTLAND TO SKYE)

Opened 1995

For hundreds of years, the only way to reach Skye was by ferry, with services running from Kyleakin, Mallaig and a small crossing at Glenelg. But when a road bridge opened 22 years ago, connecting Kyleakin to the Kyle of Lochalsh, everything changed. The Inner Hebridean island has become one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting visitors for its world-class cuisine at the Three Chimneys and Kinloch Lodge, elemental hillwalking in the Cuillins, and natural wonders like the Fairy Pools (a series of miniature waterfalls) and the Old Man of Storr rocky outcrops. For nine years after opening there was a toll, costing £11.40 for a round trip, but this was dropped in 2004 and today crossing the bridge is free.

ORESUND BRIDGE (MALMO TO COPENHAGEN) Opened 2000

The bridge connecting Denmark with Sweden was first conceived in the early 20th century, and was mooted and dropped a number of times over the decades. By 2000, the Oresund Bridge opened as the longest combined railway and motorway bridge in Europe. The crossing spans five miles before ducking under water on the artificial island of Peberholm in the middle of the strait, where the road continues for another 2½ miles. The bridge inspired the

Nordic noir series The Bridge and today many tourists use the crossing to combine a city break in Copenhagen with the lake-dotted countryside of southern Sweden.

MILLAU VIADUCT Opened 2004

The Norman Fosterdesigned viaduct is the tallest in the world, with a height of 1,200ft and a length of 1½ miles, and is often ranked as one of the greatest engineering triumphs of the modern era. Since opening, the bridge has become an essential detour for any road trip in the southwest of France, spanning the forest-cloaked gorge valley of the river Tarn below. The bridge’s gently curved roadway supported by triangular cable stays gives the appearance of a series of yachts, suspended in mid-air.