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Great Seto Bridge (瀬戸大橋,Seto Ōhashi) | |
|---|---|
 Great Seto Bridge from Honshū (left) via the islands of Hitsuishijima and Yoshima to Shikoku | |
| Coordinates | 34°23′54″N133°48′36″E / 34.39833°N 133.81000°E /34.39833; 133.81000 |
| Carries |
|
| Crosses | Seto Inland Sea |
| Locale | Honshū andShikoku |
| Maintained by | Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Double-decked bridge system |
| Total length | 13.1 km (8.1 mi) |
| History | |
| Opened | April 10, 1988; 37 years ago (1988-04-10)[1] |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Great Seto Bridge (瀬戸大橋,Seto Ōhashi) | |
TheGreat Seto Bridge orSeto Ohashi Bridge (瀬戸大橋,Seto Ōhashi)[2][note 1] is a series of double deck bridges connectingOkayama andKagawa prefectures in Japan across a series of five small islands in theSeto Inland Sea. Built over the period 1978–1988, it is one of the three routes of theHonshū–Shikoku Bridge Project connectingHonshū andShikoku islands and the only one to carry rail traffic. The total length is 13.1 kilometers (8.1 mi), and the longest span, the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge, is 1.1 kilometers (3,600 ft). The crossing takes about 20 minutes by car or train. The ferry crossing before the bridge was built took about an hour.
The bridges carry two lanes of highway traffic in each direction (Seto-Chūō Expressway) on the upper deck and one railway track in each direction (Seto-Ōhashi Line) on the lower deck. The lower deck was designed to accommodate an additional set ofShinkansen tracks for the proposedShikoku Shinkansen line.[3]
When in 1889 the first railway in Shikoku was completed betweenMarugame andKotohira, a member of the Prefectural Parliament,Jinnojo Ōkubo (大久保諶之丞,Ōkubo Jinnojo; 1849–1891), stated in his speech at the opening ceremony: "The four provinces of Shikoku are like so many remote islands. If united by roads, they will be much better off, enjoying the benefits of increased transportation and easier communication with each other."[citation needed]
While it took a century for this vision of a bridge across the Seto Inland Sea to become reality, another of Ōkubo's ideas, mentioned in a drinking song he composed, was accomplished twenty years sooner:
The bridge idea lay dormant for about sixty years. In 1955, after 171 people, including 100 students from elementary and junior high schools on school trips, died whentwo ferries collided in dense fog off the coast ofTakamatsu, a safer crossing was deemed necessary. By 1959, meetings were held to promote building the bridge. Scientists began investigations shortly after, and in 1970, the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Construction Authority was inaugurated. However, work was postponed for five years by the "1973 oil shock"; once the Environment Assessment Report was published in 1978, construction got underway. The ferry disaster also led to the creation of theAkashi Kaikyō Bridge.
The project took ten years to complete at a cost of US$7 billion; 3.646 million cubic meters (128.8 million cubic feet) of concrete and 705,000 tons of steel were used in construction.[citation needed] Although nets, ropes and other safety measures were employed, 17 workers were killed during the 10 years of construction.[1]
The bridge opened to road and rail traffic on April 10, 1988 by then-Crown PrinceAkihito.[1] At opening time, the one-way toll to cross the bridge was¥ 6300.[1]
Six of the eleven bridges are separately named, unlike some other long bridge complexes such as theSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. The other five bridges areviaducts. The six named bridges from north to south are listed below.
