engineering

Top 10 Longest Suspension Bridge Spans in the World

Turkey's 1915 Çanakkale Bridge spans the Dardanelles with a 2,023-metre main span, the longest suspension bridge span in the world as of October 2026.

Updated October 18, 2026 10 ranked 1 sources

Quick answer

The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey has the longest suspension bridge span in the world, 2,023 metres, as of October 2026. Japan's Akashi Kaikyō Bridge (1,991 m) is second and China's Nanjing Xianxin Yangtze River Bridge (1,760 m) third. Only completed road or rail suspension bridges are ranked, by main span.

Suspension bridges hang their decks from main cables draped over two towers and anchored at each end, and they hold every record for the longest bridge spans. All ten of the longest completed suspension spans exceed 1,500 metres. This list ranks the ten longest completed suspension bridge spans by main span, the distance between the two main towers, as of October 2026. The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge took the record in 2022, and three Chinese spans that opened in 2024 and 2025 have joined the top ten.

Main span (m)

Main span (m)
2,023
1915 Çanakkale Bridge
1,991
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
1,760
Nanjing Xianxin Yangtze River Bridge
1,700
Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge
1,688
Nansha Bridge (East Span)
1,666
Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge
1,650
Xihoumen Bridge
1,624
Great Belt East Bridge
1,560
Ningyang Yangtze River Bridge
1,550
Osman Gazi Bridge

The ranking

1

1915 Çanakkale Bridge

Opened in March 2022, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge crosses the Dardanelles strait in Turkey, connecting Gelibolu to Lapseki. Its 2,023-metre main span is the longest suspension bridge span in the world, surpassing the Akashi Kaikyō's 24-year record.

Main span: 2,023 mLocation: Gelibolu-Lapseki, Dardanelles, TurkeyYear opened: 2022
2

Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge, connects Kobe to Awaji Island across the Akashi Strait. Completed in 1998, its 1,991-metre main span held the world record for 24 years until the Çanakkale Bridge surpassed it in 2022.

Main span: 1,991 mLocation: Kobe-Awaji Island, JapanYear opened: 1998
3

Nanjing Xianxin Yangtze River Bridge

Opened in 2025, the Nanjing Xianxin Yangtze River Bridge in Jiangsu, China, has a 1,760-metre main span, the longest suspension span in China and the third-longest in the world.

Main span: 1,760 mLocation: Nanjing, Jiangsu, ChinaYear opened: 2025
4

Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge

Opened in 2019, this double-deck suspension bridge carries road traffic across the Yangtze River in Wuhan, China. Its 1,700-metre main span was the longest in China until the Nanjing Xianxin bridge opened in 2025.

Main span: 1,700 mLocation: Wuhan, Hubei, ChinaYear opened: 2019
5

Nansha Bridge (East Span)

The Nansha Bridge in Guangdong Province has two suspension spans across the Pearl River. Its East span, opened in 2019, has a 1,688-metre main span between Nansha and Dongguan.

Main span: 1,688 mLocation: Nansha-Dongguan, Guangdong, ChinaYear opened: 2019
6

Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge

Opened in 2024, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge carries the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link across the Pearl River Estuary in Guangdong. Its 1,666-metre main span is the sixth-longest suspension span in the world.

Main span: 1,666 mLocation: Shenzhen-Zhongshan, Guangdong, ChinaYear opened: 2024
7

Xihoumen Bridge

The Xihoumen Bridge links islands of the Zhoushan archipelago in Zhejiang Province, China. Opened in 2009, its 1,650-metre main span was, at the time, exceeded only by the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge.

Main span: 1,650 mLocation: Zhoushan, Zhejiang, ChinaYear opened: 2009
8

Great Belt East Bridge

The Great Belt East Bridge carries the E20 motorway across the eastern channel of the Great Belt between Zealand and the islet of Sprogø in Denmark. Opened in 1998, its 1,624-metre main span is the longest suspension span lying wholly in Europe.

Main span: 1,624 mLocation: Korsør-Sprogø, DenmarkYear opened: 1998
9

Ningyang Yangtze River Bridge

Opened in 2025, the Ningyang Yangtze River Bridge links Nanjing and Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province, China. Its 1,560-metre main span is one of three Chinese suspension spans opened in the 2020s that are in the current top ten.

Main span: 1,560 mLocation: Nanjing-Yangzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaYear opened: 2025
10

Osman Gazi Bridge

Opened in 2016, the Osman Gazi Bridge spans the Gulf of İzmit in Turkey on the Gebze-Orhangazi-İzmir motorway. Among Turkish suspension bridges, only the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge has a longer main span than its 1,550 metres.

Main span: 1,550 mLocation: Dilovası-Altınova, Gulf of İzmit, TurkeyYear opened: 2016

Full comparison

# Name Main spanLocationYear opened
1 1915 Çanakkale Bridge 2,023 mGelibolu-Lapseki, Dardanelles, Turkey2022
2 Akashi Kaikyō Bridge 1,991 mKobe-Awaji Island, Japan1998
3 Nanjing Xianxin Yangtze River Bridge 1,760 mNanjing, Jiangsu, China2025
4 Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge 1,700 mWuhan, Hubei, China2019
5 Nansha Bridge (East Span) 1,688 mNansha-Dongguan, Guangdong, China2019
6 Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge 1,666 mShenzhen-Zhongshan, Guangdong, China2024
7 Xihoumen Bridge 1,650 mZhoushan, Zhejiang, China2009
8 Great Belt East Bridge 1,624 mKorsør-Sprogø, Denmark1998
9 Ningyang Yangtze River Bridge 1,560 mNanjing-Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China2025
10 Osman Gazi Bridge 1,550 mDilovası-Altınova, Gulf of İzmit, Turkey2016

How we ranked this

Bridges are ranked by main span in metres, the distance between the two main towers. Only completed suspension bridges carrying road or rail traffic are eligible; cable-stayed bridges, footbridges, pipeline bridges and bridges still under construction are excluded. Main spans, locations and opening years are taken from the 'Completed suspension bridges' table of Wikipedia's List of longest suspension bridge spans (permanent revision 1380356097, 15 October 2026), which cites engineering sources for each bridge. Rank 1 is the longest main span; there are no ties in the top ten.

FAQ

What is the longest suspension bridge in the world?

The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey, opened in March 2022, has the longest suspension bridge span in the world at 2,023 metres.

How is a suspension bridge different from a cable-stayed bridge?

In a suspension bridge, the deck hangs from vertical suspender cables attached to two main cables that are draped over the towers and anchored at each end. In a cable-stayed bridge, the deck is supported directly by cables running from the towers in a fan or harp pattern.

Which country has the most long-span suspension bridges?

China, with six of the ten longest completed suspension spans: Nanjing Xianxin, Yangsigang, Nansha (East span), Shenzhen-Zhongshan, Xihoumen and Ningyang. Turkey has two, and Japan and Denmark one each.

What is the next record-breaking suspension bridge under construction?

The South span of China's Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge, with a 2,300-metre main span, is listed as due to open in 2028, which would break the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge's record. China's Second Sutong Yangtze River Bridge, also 2,300 metres, is listed for 2031.

Sources

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