is a bridge located in

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The bridge connects the island of

Tsunoshima is an island located in the Sea of Japan. Located in the north west of Yamaguchi Prefecture, it is a part of Shimonoseki city. The island has an area of and has a coastline of . The island consists primarily of basalt, and is a part of the Kita- ...

to mainland Japan.

Overview

Tsunoshima Bridge crosses the Amagaseto Strait in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

, linking the island of

with the mainland at Hōhoku,

Shimonoseki is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsushim ...

. It is long, making it the second-longest bridge in Japan behind the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. The bridge is noted for its distinctive curved shape: it proceeds straight as it extends from the mainland before curving as it passes Hatoshima, an uninhabited island located in the strait. As Tsunoshima Bridge is located within the borders of Kita-Nagato Kaigan Quasi-National Park, the bridge was intentionally curved to avoid passing through Hatoshima, thus preserving its natural environment; the height of the bridge was also limited to preserve the landscape of the surrounding area.

History

Prior to the construction of Tsunoshima Bridge, Tsunoshima and the mainland were connected by a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

that made seven daily round-trips. The ferry was frequently delayed and cancelled due to inclement weather, particularly in the winter; in 1983, a group of roughly 100 island residents formed a group to advocate for the construction of a bridge. Construction on Tsunoshima Bridge began in September 1993, with a total project cost of

JP¥ The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and th ...

14.9 billion. The bridge opened on November 3, 2000. In 2003, the bridge was recognized with the Excellence Award by the

Japan Society of Civil Engineers is a professional scientific nonprofit organization of the civil engineering field of Japan. It was established as an incorporated association in 1914 and its offices are located in Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), of ...

for its environmentally-conscious design.

Tourism

While the transportation access provided by Tsunoshima Bridge has contributed significantly to Tsunoshima's tourism industry, the bridge is itself a popular tourist destination for its panoramic views of the island and its proximity to several sub-tropical beaches. Several viewing platforms and other amenities are located at Amagase Park, a park that is split into two sections on both ends of the bridge. Automobile commercials and television dramas are frequently filmed on and around the bridge.

Gallery

References

External links