What It Takes to Build the World’s Most Extreme Bridges

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View in Browser    What It Takes to Build the World's Most Extreme Bridges As ambitious single spans continue to stretch on and on (and on), what's the limit to how long a bridge can actually be? By Tim Newcomb As builders in Turkey construct the world's longest single-span suspension bridge across the Canakkale Strait and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to build a 22-mile bridge and tunnel combination across tumultuous waters to connect Scotland with Northern Ireland, these kinds of ambitious projects beg a crucial question: Just how long can a bridge actually be? The answer isn't so straightforward; it's dependent on the topography of the environment, the materials used, and the available technology. But the basic length can be … well, never-ending. Here's why. This is a free preview of Pop Mech Pro. Join now for less than $1 a week to read the rest of the story and more of Popular Mechanics' most in-depth, exclusive features.  JOIN NOW MORE FROM POP MECH PRO HOME READ NOW The Four Biggest Painting Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) TECH READ NOW Remembering NASA's "Aeronautical Disneyland" SPACE READ NOW Where Does the Oxygen in the Universe Come From, Exactly? Follow Us Unsubscribe Privacy Notice PopularMechanics.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019