World's highest and longest bridges

The highest bridge in the world can be found in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. The valley lies at an altitude of about 5 602 m (18,379 ft) above sea level on the India side of Kashmir. Called the Baily Bridge, it is only 30 metres (98 ft) long, and was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

The highest road in the world runs along the Himalayan ridge in Kashmir

If you were thinking of the bridge that stands highest over water, then the Royal Gorge Bridge over the Arkansas River in Colorado, US is your answer. Built in 1929 for $350,000, it spans 321 m (1,053 ft) above the water.

The highest bridge measured by its piers is the Millau Viaduct (Viaduc de Millau) over the River Tarn in the Massif Central mountains in France. It is more than 300m (984ft) high and 2,5 km (1,5 miles) long.

Millau Viaduct (Viaduc de Millau) over the River Tarn in France.

The longest bridge in the world over a body of water is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in New Orleans, USA with a total length of 38,6 km (24 miles). It was completed in 1956. The Bang Na Expressway in Bankok, Thailand is even longer, at 54 km (33.5 miles), but mostly is an elevated highway. However, they are soon to be outdone by the 79.6 km Xian-Zhengzhou high speed railway bridge being built in China. It will be known as the Wei River Bridge.

The most expensive bridge is the Seto-Ohashi-Kojima bridge in Japan. At 13,22 km (8,21 miles) long, it was built in 1988 at a cost of $8.3 billion.

The world's largest natural bridge is the Rainbow Bridge, tucked away among the rugged, isolated canyons at the base of Navajo Mountain, Utah, USA. It is a natural wonder. From its base to the top of the arch, it reaches 88,4 m (290 ft) - nearly the height of the Statue of Liberty - and spans 83,8 m (275 ft) across the river. The top of the arch is 12,8 m (42 ft) thick and 10 m (33 ft) wide.

The World's busiest bridge is the Howrah bridge across the river Hooghly in Calcutta, India. In addition to some 150,000 vehicles a day it carries more than four million pedestrians across its 457 m (1,500 ft) long 22 m (72 ft) wide span.