Karun 3 Dam Bridge
Karun 3 Dam Bridge
3 سد کارون
Bajool, Khuzestan, Iran
656 feet high / 200 meters high
827 foot span / 252 meter span
2005
One of two large steel arches that were necessary to carry a former road across the deep reservoir created by the massive Karun 3 dam, the larger of the two arches became the highest span in the Middle East, surpassing the record previously held by Iran's 35 year old Ghotour bridge. The Karun 3 Dam is one of a series of huge hydroelectric projects that have been built along the Karun River which has the greatest discharge of any river in Iran and is hence the most important power producing waterway in the country. At 205 meters from top to bottom, the double curvature Karun 3 Dam became the tallest in the country upon its completion in 2005. The even larger Karun 4 Dam began operations in 2011 with a foundation to crest height of 230 meters. For a size comparison, the famous Hoover Dam near Las Vegas is slightly higher then Karun 3 but slightly lower then Karun 4. The original Karun 1 and 2 Dams were completed in and .
You can see an informative video on the completion of the dam, spillway operations, the filling of the lake and several nice views of the 2 arches below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8hBgCIHXJc
Another extensive video concentrating more on the construction of the Karun 3 dam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuyQXQc-XsU
A video showing the inauguration of Karun 4 Dam by President Mahmud Ahmadinejad can be seen below with more information on the entire Karun River hydroelectric development.
