Chikugo River Lift Bridge, Vertical-lift railway bridge in Saga, Japan
The Chikugo River Lift Bridge is a 507.2-metre railway bridge across the Chikugo River between Ōkawa, Fukuoka and Saga. Its central span of 24.2 metres rises 23 metres between two red lattice towers standing on grey concrete piers, while the rest of the deck is a low dark truss. It is Japan's oldest surviving vertical-lift bridge.
It was built in 1935 and served rail traffic until the Saga Railway Line ceased operations in 1987, closing the bridge to trains. After that year, it became a notable example of 20th-century engineering.
The bridge earned recognition as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2003 and was added to the Mechanical Engineering Heritage list in 2007.
The walkway is open from 9:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays unless that Monday is a public holiday, and closed from 29 December to 3 January. Pets and motorbikes are not allowed; cyclists must dismount and push. Parking for about 20 cars is available on both banks, and the Saga side has a farm-produce shop, Hashi no Eki Doronpa.
The lift mechanism was devised by Sakamoto Tanehisa, while railway engineer Kuginomiya Iwao led the design and construction as head of the Kumamoto construction office. A working model of the bridge was shown at the 1937 Paris Exposition and is now held at the Railway Museum in Saitama.
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