List of Longest Masonry Arch Bridge Spans

The masonry arch bridges of stone or brick are the most genuine of arch bridges, some lasting a thousand years. Because they are made of worked stone, there is a slight chance they might even stand without mortar, like the Pont du Gard aqueduct. Yet arch bridges using rough hewn stones like Changhong Bridge need mortar to stand. Arches with a core of reinforced concrete covered by facade stone for decoration are not to be included in this list, the load-bearing part of the arch should be cut stone or brick, or as follows, unreinforced concrete.

In a closed spandrel stone arch bridge the hollow space can be filled with rubble and loose material. It can also be filled with concrete, in which case the filling itself become able to bear load in addition to the load carried by the ring of voussoirs. If the voussoir stones are thin they can not take a lot of weight so instead it is the concrete filling that becomes the structural part of the arch. The next step is to remove the voussoir stones completely, or only use them as facade stones. An unreinforced concrete arch is technically a masonry arch that use only very small stones, that is the aggregate of the concrete, sand and gravel. Such an arch would not stand without mortar.

Some modern bridges are built masonry style with precast concrete blocks, like Gladesville Bridge that has a span of 305 metres (1000 ft). These types are not in this list because their blocks are most likely made of reinforced concrete, that may make the assembled arch to have more in common with a modern reinforced concrete arch than a stone masonry arch.

The Maidenhead Railway Bridge may have the two longest arches made of bricks, 39 metres (128 ft).

Building new masonry arch bridges today is a solely Chinese business. There are 18 stone arch bridges with spans exceeding 100m. There are probably several dozens of stone arches exceeding 40m in the Fujian province only. Almost all bridges were built after 1950.

This list contains the longest masonry arch spans ever built being at least 50 metres (164 ft).

Meaning of column "Arch type": ws = worked stone, uc = unreinforced concrete
Photo Rank and
Reference
Name Location Land
Longest span
in metres (feet)
Arch type
Completed
Note
Pont de la Libération Villeneuve-sur-Lot France 700196000000000000096 (315) uc 1919 There are two very thin parallel arches with a common deck Linked Image
de:Syratalviadukt Plauen Germany 700190000000000000090 (295) uc 1905 The arch is made of unreinforced concrete. The sides are decorated with facade stone. The bridge has been repaired.
Longmen Bridge Luoyang China 700190000000000000090 (295) ws 1961 One main span... (Linked Image)
Solkan Bridge Nova Gorica Slovenia 700185000000000000085 (278) ws 1906 Destroyed. Rebuilt 1927.
Adolphe Bridge Luxembourg City Luxembourg 700184000000000000084 (275) ws 1904 Reinforced concrete deck. There are two parallel arches with a common deck.
Pont de Montanges (Pont-des-Pierres) Valserine river France 700180000000000000080 (262) ws 1910 Destroyed tramway bridge Linked Image
fr:Viaduc de la Roizonne La Mure France 700179000000000000079 (260) ws 1928
Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge Lombardy Italy 700172000000000000072 (236) ws 1377 Destroyed in 1416
Steyrling Bridge de:Pyhrn Railroad Austria 700170000000000000070 (230) ws 1904
Union Arch Bridge Maryland USA 700167000000000000067 (220) ws 1864 Part of the Washington Aqueduct
de:Sonnborner Eisenbahnbrücke Wuppertal Germany 700166000000000000066 (216) ws 1914 Instead of the keystone there is a steel hinge
Gutach Bridge Höllental Railroad Germany 700164000000000000064 (209) ws 1900
König-Ludwig-Brücke and Obere Illerbrücken Kempten (Allgäu) Germany 700164000000000000064 (209) uc 1851/1906 Three bridges, one a wood truss Linked Image
Pont de la Balme Savoie France 700164000000000000064 (209) ws 1946 The span has two parallel arches
de:Luitpoldbrücke (München) Munich Germany 700163000000000000063 (206) ws 1901 BW
de:Max-Joseph-Brücke Munich Germany 700163000000000000063 (206) ws 1902 BW
Grosvenor Bridge Chester UK 700161000000000000061 (200) ws 1832 The span is probably 61 m
Lavaur Railroad Bridge Agout River France 700161000000000000061 (200) ws 1884
Wechselburg-Göhrer Bridge Saxony Germany 700160000000000000060 (196) ws 1904
Linked Image Huanghugang Bridge Hunan China 700160000000000000060 (196) ws 1959
Longmen Bridge Luoyang China 700160000000000000060 (196) ws 1961 ...and two side spans. (Linked Image)
de:Wallstraßenbrücke Ulm Germany 700157000000000000057 (187) uc 1905 Destroyed. Piers and deck of reinforced concrete.
Ballochmyle Viaduct Mauchline UK 700155000000000000055 (180) ws 1848 Linked Image
Wiesen Viaduct Landwasser River Switzerland 700155000000000000055 (180) ws 1909
Pélussin Tramway Bridge Loire France 700155000000000000055 (180) ws 1919 Linked Image
Pont de Rabastens Tarn France 700155000000000000055 (180) ws 1924 Two spans, reinforced concrete deck Linked Image
Pont de Vieille-Brioude Allier River France 700154000000000000054 (177) ws 1479 Collapsed 1822, successor (1832) spans only 45 m (148 ft)
Linked Image Yixiantian Bridge Chengdu–Kunming Railway China 700154000000000000054 (177) ws 1966 Deck system concrete
Gignac Bridge Hérault France 700150000000000000050 (164) ws 1810
fr:Viaduc de Nogent-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne France 700150000000000000050 (164) ws 1856 Four spans, destroyed
Munderkingen Bridge Baden-Württemberg Germany 700150000000000000050 (164) uc 1893 Destroyed
fr:Viaduc des Eaux-salées Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur France 700150000000000000050 (164) ws 1914
Linked Image Baisha Bridge Zhejiang China 700150000000000000050 (164) ws 1960 Two spans


This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

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