Anchorages and Towers of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Japan

When completed, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge will be the longest suspension bridge in the world. It is a 3-span truss-stiffened suspension bridge designed to carry a 6-lane highway. Its main span length of 1,990 m was determined in order to maintain the designated width of an international waterway (1,500 m) along the Akashi Straits, the additional margin allowing for construction work and for the positioning of the main piers at topographically and geologically favourable locations. The bridge has been designed to withstand violent winds (average speed: about 80 m/s for 10 min) as well as strong earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter scale (epicenter distance: 150 km). The cable-pull to an anchorage and the vertical reaction to the tower-top are calculated to be 1.2 GN and 1.0 GN, respectively.