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There’s are many ways to get across water – boat, plane or bridge. At Automopedia we’re only interested in the latter. And the stranger the contraption, the better. Popular Mechanics had a look at some of the oddest bridge designs out there – so join them (and us) on a road trip around the globe to see how we all cross that bridge, when we come to it

The Rolling Bridge



UK-based design firm Heatherwick Studio created this 39-foot timber and steel bridge in 2004 to act as a walkway over a small section of London’s Grand Union Canal.
Why It’s Innovative: A hydraulic system built into the bridge’s handrail allows it to retract and curl into an octagon.

Henderson Waves



The 118-foot tall Henderson Waves is Singapore’s tallest pedestrian bridge, linking Mount Faber Park with Telok Blangah Hill Park.
Why It’s Innovative: Pedestrian bridges allow for a certain amount of creativity that’s not possible with structures that need to support heavy-duty use. The undulating outer shell of the Henderson Waves is striking, and the inside is shaped into benches where tourists can sit and gaze at nature or the nearby skyline of Singapore City.

Sundial Bridge



Renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava designed this cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge to be made from a combination of steel, glass and granite. Completed in 2004, the pedestrian bridge crosses the Sacramento River in the Turtle Bay Exploration Park.
Why It’s Innovative: As its name implies, the bridge’s 217-foot-tall support tower acts as a giant sundial.

Millau Viaduct

Background: English architect Norman Foster designed this massive cable-stayed bridge to carry travelers over the valley of the Tarn River. It opened in 2004 with a final price tag of nearly 0 million.
Why It’s Innovative: With its apex at 1125 feet, the Millau Viaduct is one of the world’s tallest bridges. Despite its huge size, the construction period lasted only three years thanks to the use of GPS guidance systems, self-climbing formwork and prefabricated materials.

Langkawi Sky Bridge



Background: This curved pedestrian bridge is 2000 feet above sea level at the top of Mount Mat Cincang in Malaysia. Tourists who want to walk across the 400-foot long structure must ride up to it in a cable car.
Why It’s Innovative: Set above the treetops, the Langkawi Sky Bridge is one of the highest elevated single-stay bridges in the world. The deck is less than 6 feet wide and its curved shape gives travelers a panoramic view of Langkawi, an archipelago of 99 islands.

Pythonbrug



Design firm West 8 was commissioned to create a series of bridges linking Amsterdam’s Sporenburg area with Borneo Island. Pythonbrug, which roughly translates from Dutch as “Python Bridge,” opened in 2001 and is about 300 feet long.
Why It’s Innovative: The sinuous Pythonbrug is one of the most modern bridges in Amsterdam, a city famous for its traditional canal bridges. Unlike Singapore’s Henderson Waves, which relies on an outer shell to create the wave illusion, the Pythonbrug walkway actually dips and rises.

Slauerhoffbrug



Background: The Slauerhoffbrug is a tail bridge that can quickly be raised to allow ships to pass. It was completed in 2000 and spans a small section of the Harlinger Vaart River.
Why It’s Innovative: Instead of rotating open, the Slauerhoffbrug is lifted up by a dual hydraulic system that is built into its pylon. The Slauerhoffbrug is L-shaped, with its foundation sitting adjacent to the road.

Evergreen Point Floating Bridge



Background: This floating bridge, which was completed in 1966, carries State Route 520 from Seattle to Medina, Washington. At 1.4 miles long, it has one of the longest floating spans in the world.
Why It’s Innovative: Because Lake Washington can be more than 200 feet deep, building a suspension bridge across it was not a viable option in the 1960s. The floating design, which relies on concrete pontoons that are anchored by underwater weights, was the perfect solution. In its more than 40 years of existence, the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge has been battered by high-speed winds and even withstood a barge crashing into it. However, these abuses, along with the bridge’s vulnerability to earthquakes, have forced the Washington Department of Transportation to launch a project aimed at replacing the structure.

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