Ōnaruto Bridge

The Ōnaruto Bridge (大鳴門橋, Ōnaruto-kyō, lit. "Great Naruto Bridge") is a suspension bridge on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway connecting Minamiawaji, Hyogo on Awaji Island with Naruto, Tokushima on Ōge Island, Japan. Completed in 1985, it has a main span of 876 metres (2,874 ft). Although it is one of the largest bridges in the world, it is dwarfed by the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, which is on the same route. In 2004, 6.8 million cars and trucks crossed this bridge, translating into a daily average of about 18,600.

Ōnaruto Bridge
(大鳴門橋, Ōnaruto-kyō)
from Mt. Naruto
Coordinates34°14′19″N 134°39′05″E
Carries4 lanes of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway
CrossesNaruto Strait
LocaleNaruto, Tokushima and Minamiawaji, Hyogo
Maintained byHonshū-Shikoku Bridge Authority
Characteristics
DesignSuspension bridge
Longest span876 metres (2,874 ft)
Clearance below41 metres (135 ft)
History
Opened1985
Statistics
Daily traffic18,600
Location

The bridge is complemented by the Konaruto Bridge ("Small Naruto Bridge") and Muya Bridge between Ōge Island and Shikoku.

When the bridge was built, space was left for the proposed Shikoku Shinkansen; however, no progress has been made on the train line, so the space intended originally for the bullet trains is used as an observatory to see the whirlpools beneath the bridge.[1]

Naruto Whirlpools

Recurring whirlpools known as the Naruto whirlpools are located below the bridge, caused by tidal currents between the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean passing over undersea ridges under the Span, causing very strong eddy currents, some of which make large, deep whirlpools.

The bridge has a tourist attraction built into the south side anchor—the Uzunomichi Walkway[2]—an enclosed walkway out to the south tower to allow visitors to view the swirls through side and floor windows, best seen during low tide. Tourist boats and other vessels circle the towers, allowing visitors to actually see the depth of the whirlpools up close, while the view from the bridge observatory lets visitors see the pattern created by the eddy currents extending out for quite a distance.

References
  1. http://www.eda-jp.com/satsuki/kokkai/1981/810602.html
  2. Welcome! Shikoku Web Site' Naruto Whirlpools English Page

Media related to Ohnaruto Bridge at Wikimedia Commons


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