Matsukawaura Bridge, Cable-stayed road bridge in Sōma, Japan.
Matsukawaura Bridge is a three-span continuous prestressed concrete cable-stayed road bridge carrying Sōma city road Ōsu-Matsukawa line across the mouth of Matsukawaura lagoon. It is 520.3 m long overall, with a 286.6 m cable-stayed section, a 145.0 m main span, a 9.5 m deck (7.25 m roadway, 2.25 m walkway) and 58.0 m towers. It links the Hara-gama district on the mainland with Unosaki on the sandbar.
Construction began in July 1992 as part of the Matsukawaura fishing port improvement works. The bridge opened in March 1995. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake tsunami damaged the approach roads and spit road, closing the bridge to general traffic until 8 April 2017; lighting resumed on 15 April. The road beyond reopened on 21 April 2018.
The bridge's name comes from Matsukawaura, the lagoon it crosses at its mouth, a spot formed by a sandbar. Because the crossing lies inside Matsukawaura Prefectural Natural Park, a review committee weighed scenery concerns, and the design was chosen partly to keep the deck over land rather than in the fast tidal channel. Since 2017 the bridge has been lit up again at night.
The bridge carries Sōma city road Ōsu-Matsukawa line, with a 7.25 m roadway and a 2.25 m walkway. It links the Haragama district on the mainland with Unosaki on the sandspit, shortening the route to the Isobe district south of the lagoon. Lighting on the piers, halted after the 2011 tsunami, was switched back on in April 2017.
The bridge was built as part of the Matsukawaura fishing port improvement works, and its three-span continuous PC cable-stayed design was chosen so the deck sits over land rather than the fast-flowing inlet, avoiding the risk of ship collisions. Construction began in July 1992 and the bridge opened in March 1995.
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