Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge, Railway and suspension bridge in Sakaide, Japan
The Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge is a three-span continuous stiffened truss suspension bridge between Yashima Island and Mitsugojima in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture. Its main span measures 990 metres and its total length 1,611 metres; the Yashima-side tower rises 175 metres and the Mitsugojima-side tower 184 metres. It carries both road and railway, and with the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge forms the two-span Kita-Minami Bisan-Seto Ohashi.
Construction began in 1978 as part of the Great Seto Bridge project and opened in 1988 to directly connect Honshu and Shikoku islands. This project marked the first time a land route linked the two islands across the sea.
The Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge and the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge just south of it form a pair of suspension bridges together known as the Kita-Minami Bisan-Seto Bridges, chosen as one of Japan's 20th-century heritage sites. The bridge deck carries the Seto-Ōhashi railway line and the Seto-Chūō highway, and the water beneath it is the Kita Bisan-Seto navigation channel.
You can cross the bridge by car or train, saving time when traveling between the prefectures. The structure spans over open water, so wind and weather conditions can affect the crossing experience.
The bridge uses an innovative stacked-level design where trains run on the lower deck and cars travel on the upper level. This system made it possible to combine two completely different transportation modes within a single structure.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,165 contributors worldwide.
