A Bridge Called What? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bosphorus Bridge

Istanbul in Turkey is built on both sides of the stretch of water called the Bosphorus, which separates Europe and Asia. Opened in 1973, it was the first of (currently) three bridges across the Bosphorus strait. Local people can usually be seen lining the side of the bridge, fishing in the Bosphorus.

Answer: Oresund Bridge

Opened in 2000, a 4 lane highway links Denmark and Sweden across the Oresund Strait. It uses a tunnel on the Danish side which continues as the Oresund Bridge on the Swedish side. The junction is on a specially built artificial island. The towns at either end are Amager and Oresund in Denmark and Skane in Sweden, but the bridge is also the major link between Copenhagen and Malmo.

A toll is collected at the Swedish end, but there are no border controls as both countries are in the European Union.

Answer: The Python Bridge

The adjective "quirky" is frequently used in descriptions of this snake-like bridge connecting parts of Amsterdam's docklands. Painted bright red, it takes only pedestrians (the ubiquitous Amsterdam cyclist would have to carry his bike up stairs on this bridge) to a considerable height (to give clearance for boats) giving great views over the Amsterdam dock area.

Answer: Tower Bridge

Described in some places as the most famous bridge in the world, Tower Bridge (right next to the Tower of London, hence the name) was completed in 1894 to provide a road bridge across the River Thames which could also open to allow ships to pass. The lower road part rarely opens these days, and opening times are published beforehand.

The bridge became a major tourist attraction in the 1980's, and tourists can now book tours of the engine room and the overhead walkway, which also incorporates a glass floor.

Answer: Tacoma Narrows Bridge

As an aeronautical student I saw the famous film of the collapse of this bridge as part of our education into the phenomenon of "flutter". In an aircraft the problem can occur suddenly at high speed, but with this bridge everything happened very slowly.
The Bridge was opened in June 1940 across the Tacoma Narrows section of Puget Sound, and it began to oscillate at moderate wind speeds almost immediately. In November it finally distorted so much that it tore itself to pieces and collapsed.
A replacement bridge at the same place was not built until 1950.

Answer: Vizcaya Bridge

The Vixcaya Transporter Bridge was built in 1893 to provide a link across the mouth of the Nervion river below Bilbao in northern Spain. To allow continued use by shipping on the river, it was designed as a "transporter". A gondola is suspended from an overhead platform, and it is still drawn across the river today, every eight minutes! The cabin can hold six cars and over fifty foot passengers. Recently it has been improved for tourists by adding lifts to the overhead walkway which gives extensive views.

Answer: Aioi Bridge

6th August 1945: through a gap in the clouds over Hiroshima, the crew of the Enola Gay could easily make out the distinctive shape of the Aiao bridge with its three arms. This was the aiming point for the first atomic bomb used in warfare. Although the bomb actually exploded 300 meters away, the bridge was severely damaged, and was rebuilt after the war. When this one was replaced in 1983 part of the original girderwork was placed in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which is connected to one leg of the bridge.

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Answer: London Millennium Bridge

One of two new London landmarks intended to celebrate the millennium, the Millennium Bridge was a steel suspension bridge intended to allow pedestrians to cross the Thames linking the vicinity of St Paul's Cathedral with Bankside, where the old power station had been converted into the Tate Modern Art Gallery. On the opening day it was found that it tended to sway as crowds of people crossed it.

Although this might be seen by some as a fun attraction, the authorities decided that it could be dangerous if the oscillations got too violent, causing people to stagger and fall.

It took two years to modify the design and incorporate stabilising outriggers. The problem in this case was not aerodynamic flutter (see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) but a matter of the natural vibration frequency coinciding with the rhythm of walking feet.

Answer: The Bridge of No Return

Separating North and South Korea is a 150-mile strip of land called the Joint Security Area (JSA), or the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and in the middle of this is the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
A bridge was built across the MDL which was used in exchanging prisoners after the Korean war in 1953. As many prisoners held by the US might not want to return to North Korea, each was taken to the south end of the bridge and offered the choice to cross it or remain in South Korea. If they crossed it they were never to return, and this gave rise to the name "Bridge of No Return".
The crew of the USS Pueblo were the last prisoners to cross the bridge, in 1968. The bridge has not been used since 1976.

Answer: Gateshead Millennium Bridge

A highly successful Millennium enterprise, this bridge allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross between Newcastle and Gateshead when closed to river traffic on the Tyne. Above the crossing is a high arch. When shipping needs to pass, the bridge is swung upwards through forty five degrees, the two curved parts (the footway and the arch) looking rather like eyelids. "The Blinking Bridge" or "The Winking Bridge" have both been used as a description of this procedure.