The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

Last month my daughter Elizabeth and my grand-daughter Rachael had the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Japan. Elizabeth was there as sponsor for nine Pitt students on a Study Abroad project. One of the highlights of their trip was a visit to the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, near Kobe. Completed in 1998, this bridge provides a vehicular link between Honshu, Japan’s main island, and the southern island of Shikoku, via an intermediate island, Awagi. Currently it is used by about 30,000 vehicles per day. When it was built, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Last year the “1915…