LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN THE WORD CUTS TRAVEL TIME FROM EUROPE TO ASIA BY OVER 90%

The longest suspension bridge in the world spans two continents in a matter of minutes. According to INRIX, the average US driver spends 51 hours behind the wheel annually, losing two days and wasting an eye-watering amount of fuel. The soul-crushing daily commute is a part of life that many of us are all too familiar with. It's understandable why many of us seek out a vacation or two to escape the grind, but if you feel like you spend too much time in your car on the highway, a road trip during your vacation may turn off some people. However, what if I told you that there is a fantastic bridge that shortens travel times between Europe and Asia by an incredible 93 percent?

That is what Turkish officials intended when they chose to build the Çanakkale Bridge in 1915, the longest suspension bridge in the world. It spans the Dardanelles Strait, a waterway that connects the Aegean Sea and the Sea or Marmara, from northwest Turkey. The bridge links the town of Lapseki, which is located in the country's Asian region, with Gelibolu, which is located in the European side of Turkey. This eliminates the need for the 90-minute ferry ride to get to the other side and connects two continents with tarmac. Travelers, commuters, and backpackers can now get to the other side in six minutes. The bridge's construction began in March 2017 and was made public in March 2022, despite the '1915' reference.

The historically significant date in the bridge's name was chosen by Turkish officials to commemorate a significant Ottoman victory in World War I, which set off a series of events that eventually resulted in the Republic of Turkey's declaration in 1923. The bridge's 2,023-meter section honours 2023, the year the nation commemorated the centennial of the establishment of the Turkish Republic, but that's not the only nod to Turkey's past. There is some significance even in the bridge's height; its 318 meters represents the date of March 18, when Turkey remembers the soldiers lost in Gallipoli.

As previously stated, the suspension bridge spans 2,023 meters, surpassing by 32 meters, Japan's renowned Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which was constructed in 1998. The construction of the Turkish bridge was also not inexpensive, costing an astounding $2.7 billion.

During the inauguration ceremony, President Erdogan declared, "Turkey has taken the first place and surpassed Japan, which has the longest bridge in the world in terms of the midspan." "The 1915 Canakkale Bridge will leave this history of collision and conflict behind and will be a bridge between East and West, starting a new era of peace and prosperity," added South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. Experts have been offering their opinions if you've ever wondered why other important locations on Earth lack bridges. For instance, why don't we build a bridge that spans the Amazon River, which is 4,000 miles long? Even though it would seem like a clear choice, that isn't an option.

Speaking to Live Science, Walter Kaufmann, chair of Structural Engineering (Concrete Structures and Bridge Design) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, said the explanation is simple: "There is no sufficiently pressing need for a bridge across the Amazon."

Despite its length, many of the areas located near the river are sparsely populated. As a result, there aren't any major roads for a bridge to connect to.