Archive for April 5th, 2006

Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

River Tamar Bridge Shadows

Wednesday, 5th April 2006 by Alex

Check out the awesome twin shadows of two bridges linking Devon and Cornwall over the River Tamar, England. The suspension bridge to the north is the Tamar Bridge which at the time of its opening was the longest suspension bridge in the UK. In 2001 it became:

the world’s first suspension bridge to be widened using cantilevers, and the world’s first bridge to undergo strengthening and widening work while remaining open to traffic.

Just to the south is the Royal Albert Bridge which was designed in 1855 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel no less!

World’s Largest Football?

Wednesday, 5th April 2006 by Alex

Here in Niigata, Japan, we can see what may well be the world’s largest football! Presumably it’s a gas tank of some sort - can anyone translate the japanese?

It’s likely that this ball was decorated for the 2002 World Cup, as some of the games were held at the nearby 42,300 seater Niigata “Big Swan” Stadium, so named for the super-cool roof, which apparently represents the wings of a resting swan.

Thanks to Jerome.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Wednesday, 5th April 2006 by

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the world’s longest cable-stayed concrete bridge, with a length of over 29,000 feet. It connects St. Petersburg in Pinellas County to Palmetto in Manatee County, Florida.

A two lane bridge was built in 1954 and upgraded to four lanes in 1971. In 1980 disaster struck when the SS Summit Venture collided with the bridge in a storm, destroying 1200 feet of the southbound bridge. The northbound bridge took all of the traffic whilst construction of the current bridge began in 1982 and finished in 1987 at a cost of $245 million. The original bridge was then demolished but the approaches were left to be used as fishing piers. Just to be careful, the piers of the main span of the new bridge are surrounded by large concrete barriers called “dolphins” that can apparently protect the bridge from collisions with freighters much larger than the Summit Venture.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Thanks: drinklime, Jeff, Infinity & Eric T. Simon.