- Address: Japan, 711-0925 Okayama Prefecture, Kurashiki
- Phone: +81 86-426-3030
- Website: kurashiki-tabi.jp
- Opening date: 10 April 1988
- Length of bridge: 37 km
- The fare: 3500 yen ($ 30.3)
Seto Bridge is the greatest building of modernity, which became the national treasure of Japan , its pride and confirmation of the highest level of development of its machinery and industry.
Location:
The Seto-Ohashi Bridge is an overpass in the Inner Sea of Japan that connects the towns of Kurashiki on the island of Honshu and Sakaide on the island of Shikoku, as well as the islands of Hokkaido and Hondo.
The History of Seto Bridge Creation
At the end of the 19th century, the first locomotive line appeared on the island of Shikoku, and along with it the idea of the need to connect the island with the rest of Japan was born to facilitate transportation and increase the turnover. The construction of the bridge began in 1978 and lasted for 10 years. The project involved 50 thousand people. The implementation of the project required 1130 billion Japanese yen (about $ 9 billion).
For the construction of the Big Seto bridge small islands in the Inner Sea of Japan were used. The construction has taken into account the increased seismic activity of Japan (the Seto bridge withstands the earthquake to 8 points on the Richter scale) and the likelihood of tides (merchant ships will be able to pass under the bridge in this case, since the minimum height above the water will be at least 65 m) . The bridge began functioning in April 1988, and today it is a symbol of the country's technical and economic progress.
What is interesting about Seto Bridge?
Seto-Ohashi is a two-tiered complex of transport communications, including the four-lane express-Seto-Tuuyo and the high-speed railway line "shinkansen" of Seto-Ohashi located under it. Along the motorway there are 30 bus stops, the fare on it is paid, the price is the same in both directions. With regard to the railway line of Honsi-Biss, it includes 3 stations: Kaminoho, Kojima and Kimi. Of particular interest is the section of the motorway and the railway line, located in a special tunnel under the water.
The Seto Bridge stretches from north to south in the form of a chain of 6 separate bridges, of which 3 are hanging, 2 - cable-stayed and 1 - with through farms. All bridges have separate names, and from north to south their sequence looks like this:
- Simotsui-Seto is a 1,4-km-long bridge with a maximum span of 940 m, hanging on two supports. It connects the islands of Honshu and Hitsuishi;
- Hitsuizijima is a two- footed cable bridge with a length of 790 m with a maximum span of 420 m. It connected the islands of Hitsuishi and Iwakuro;
- Ivakurzim - similar in characteristics to the previous bridge. Binds the islands of Iwakuro and Vasa;
- Yoshima is a five-span overpass with through trusses, fixed on two supports. The length of the Yoshima Bridge is 847 m, and the largest span is 246 m. It serves as a connecting link between the islands of Vasa and Yo;
- The Bisan Seto is the second longest bridge in the Seto chain and the 33rd in the world (1538 m). It is a two-hanging bridge that connects the island of Yo and the Minami Bisan-Seto bridge following it;
- Minami (South) Bisan Seto - the longest of all the bridges of Seto-Ohashi (1648 m), in the world in length occupies the 22nd place. This suspension bridge on two supports connects Kitai Bisan-Seto with the island of Shikoku. The roadway at Minami Bisan-Seto is located at an altitude of 93 m.
How to get there?
To see Seto Bridge, you can go from Tokyo or Osaka . You can get from the capital of Japan by plane from Haneda airport to Okayama airport (the flight time is 1 hour 15 minutes) or by train to Okayama (the route takes 3 hours 20 minutes) and then another half hour along the JR Seto-Ohashi line to Kohima stop. From Osaka to the Seto Bridge, it takes only 50 minutes to get to Shinkansen from Sin-Osaka Station to Okayama Station. You can appreciate all the beauty and grandeur of the bridge by driving it by car or a high-speed train or taking a tour on a ferry that moves between the islets.