Unkai Bridge

Unkai Bridge
JapaneseName
Takachiho, Miyazaki, Japan
358 feet high / 109 meters high
525 foot span / 160 meter span
1972

The Unkai bridge is yet another Japanese bridge to have an asymmetrical arch with one side terminating into the foundation lower than the other. In this case the height differential is 49 feet (15 mtrs). Like most of the high bridges in Takachiho gorge, the cliffs on either side of the span are nearly vertical.

Unkai was the highest road bridge in Japan upon it completion in 1972 and the second highest overall in Japan after the nearby Takachiho gorge railway bridge. Both were also the first bridges in Japan to exceed 100 meters (328 feet) in height.

Since these two bridges were completed in the early 1970s, Takachiho Gorge has become a region with more high bridges than any other single location in Japan. These include the Tensho, Shintotakachiho and Aoba concrete arches, the Ryuten and Seiun steel arches and the Kamiiwato concrete beam bridge. All 8 bridges are more than 328 feet (100 mtrs) in height. If you have just one day to visit high bridges in Japan, Takachiho gorge is the place to be!

Image by Japanese Society of Civil Engineers.