Suspension bridge: Akashi Kaikyo BridgeBridge locationAkashi Kaikyo Bridge, or "Pearl Bridge", is built over the Akashi Strait in west-central Japan . This massive structure connects the city of Kobe, located on the main island of Honshu, to Iwaya, on the island of Awaji. The project began in May 1988 and opened to the public in April 1998, almost a decade after construction began. Size and mass This bridge measures approximately 3,911 meters in total length and 1,991 m in width (six lanes of carriageway) and is 282.8 m in height. The total mass, including concrete and steel components, of the Pearl Bridge is estimated at 1.5 million tons. Construction Materials The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge itself is mostly made of steel, however, to prevent the bridge from swaying or collapsing from the "rapid whirlwind. To resist the tidal currents of the Akashi Strait, they built concrete foundations. These concrete cylinders measure 70 m in height and have a diameter of 80 m, each reinforcing the stability of one of the two support towers of the bridge....