摩耶大橋, Cable-stayed bridge in Kobe Port, Japan.
Maya Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge crossing Kobe Port with a single-tower design positioned to one side, from which diagonal cables support the roadway. The structure connects industrial and port areas across a span of around 510 meters.
Completed in 1966, this structure marked a turning point in Japanese bridge engineering with its innovative asymmetric cable-stayed design. This construction method was entirely new for Japan at the time and influenced later infrastructure projects.
The bridge links two districts of Kobe and reflects how the port's infrastructure shaped daily movement for people in the region. Walking across it, you notice how traffic and port operations blend together in the urban landscape.
Pedestrians can use the 3-meter wide walkway to cross between the two sides, while vehicles use separate lanes alongside. Access from both sides of the port is straightforward, making it simple to navigate across.
When first built, this bridge represented a first for Japan with its one-sided tower arrangement, a solution that was completely untested elsewhere in the country. Few realize that this design choice solved specific port layout challenges that other bridge types could not address.
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