Hayase Bridge, Truss road bridge in Etajima and Kure, Japan

Hayase Bridge is a steel truss structure that crosses the Hayase Seto strait, connecting Etajima and Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture. The bridge carries National Route 487 and supports both everyday commuters and commercial traffic across the waterway.

The bridge was completed in 1973 and won that year's Zenken Award in the road category, but the Spanish source dates its inauguration to 28 October 1978. It was built after residents of Etajima launched a "10-yen donation campaign" in 1963, raising about 3 million yen, following the 1961 opening of the Ondo Bridge; construction began in 1967. It gave Etajima its only land link to the mainland and connected the Maritime Self-Defense Force schools there by road to the Kure base.

The name Hayase comes from the kanji for "fast" and "current", referring to the strait's swift water. In 1963 residents began a "10-yen donation campaign" to fund the bridge, raising about 3 million yen at the time. The prefectural government responded by deciding to build with national subsidies.

You can access it via National Route 487, and it carries traffic between the two cities throughout the day. Expect regular vehicle flow, especially during morning and evening rush hours.

The bridge's 222-metre main span made it Japan's third-longest truss bridge, after the Tenmon and Sakai Strait bridges. Its central section was hoisted into place with a floating crane, the first time this large-block method was used for a truss bridge.