If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it’s like riding a rollercoaster, sitting in your car, then the Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan might be chance. If you think you’re an A-List driver, I’d suggest you try driving on this bridge before dubbing yourself as such.
Even looking at the pictures of this bridge gives me the chills.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Worlds Steepest Bridge. The Eshima Ohashi Bridge connects the cities of Matsue and Sakaiminato in the western part of Japan. The road is paved and well constructed, and spans a mile across Lake Nakaumi.
This rollercoaster bridge in Japan was built from 1997 to 2004.
You’re probably wondering;
Why is the bridge so steep?
Architects carefully designed that way, to allow ships to pass under it with ease. The ridiculously terrifying slope freaks out even professional drivers. It literally looks like a rollercoaster.
There is a gradient of 5.1% on the Tottori Prefecture side, and 6.1% on the Shimane Prefecture side. The bridge is 1.7 km long, and 11.3 meters wide. It measures in at 44.7 meters tall with its longest span of 250 meters.
But here’s the fun hack, the bridge isn’t as steep as it looks. It’s a bit of an optical illusion. When photos are taken from a straight-on angle, it appears much more ridiculous than it actually is….Right?
This should most definitely be on your “Places to visit” List.