Which Japanese bridge has the world’s longest central suspension span at 1,991 metres?

The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge has the world’s longest central suspension span at 1,991 metres.

The Japanese bridge links Kobe on Honshu with Awaji Island across the Akashi Strait. It opened in 1998 as part of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway and carries six lanes of road traffic. Its enormous central span was designed for the strait’s strong winds, deep water and busy shipping route.

The bridge’s original planned central span was shorter, but the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake shifted one of its towers and increased the distance between them by about a metre. Engineers adapted the design and completed the structure safely.

The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge is often called the Pearl Bridge. Its total length is 3,911 metres, but the 1,991-metre figure refers specifically to the central suspended span, not the entire crossing.