Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)

Rainbow Bridge レインボーブリッジ
Coordinates	35°38′11″N 139°45′49″E
Carries	Upper deck: 4 vehicle lanes (2 per direction) of Shuto Expressway Daiba Route Lower deck: Yurikamome, Tokyo Prefectural Route 482, pedestrian walkways
Crosses	Tokyo Bay
Locale	Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Characteristics
Total length	798 m (2,618 ft)
Width	49 m (161 ft)
Height	126 m (413 ft) (towers), 52 m (171 ft) (roadway)
Longest span	570 m (1,870 ft)
No. of spans	3
History
Construction end	1993
Opened	August 26, 1993
Location

View of the walkway.

Rainbow Bridge at night, lit in white lights.

The Rainbow Bridge (レインボーブリッジ, Reinbō Buridji) is a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba waterfront development in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.

It is named Tōkyō Kō Renrakukyō (東京港連絡橋) as the official name in Japanese.

It was built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, with construction starting in 1987 and completed in 1993. The bridge is 798 m (2,618 ft) long with a main span of 580 m (1,903 ft). Officially called the "Shuto Expressway No. 11 Daiba Route - Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge", the name "Rainbow Bridge" was decided by the public.

The towers supporting the bridge are white in color, designed to harmonize with the skyline of central Tokyo seen from Odaiba. There are lamps placed on the wires supporting the bridge, which are illuminated into three different colors, red, white and green every night using solar energy obtained during the day.

The bridge can be accessed by foot from Tamachi Station (JR East) or Shibaura-futō Station (Yurikamome) on the mainland side.

Usage

The Rainbow Bridge carries three transportation lines on two decks. The upper deck carries the Shuto Expressway's Daiba Route, while the lower deck carries the Yurikamome rapid transit system in the centre, walkways on the outer side, and Tokyo Prefectural Route 482 in-between. Light motorcycles under 50cc are not permitted on either deck or the walkway of the bridge. Motorcycle pillion passengers are also banned.

Walkway

The bridge has two separate walkways on the north and south sides of the lower deck; the north side offers views of the inner Tokyo harbour and Tokyo Tower, while the south side offers views of Tokyo Bay and occasionally Mount Fuji. The walkways may only be used during certain hours (9 am to 9 pm in the summer; 10 am to 6 pm in the winter, access to the walkways close 30 minutes before closing time.) Bicycles are permitted on the condition that they are pushed (as opposed to riding them).

Panorama

A panoramic view of Rainbow Bridge and the surrounding Tokyo Bay area as seen from Odaiba during the day.

See also

• Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
• Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line
• Yokohama Bay Bridge
• List of bridges in Japan
• List of longest suspension bridge spans
• All Nippon Airways Flight 61 - the hijacker wanted to fly the plane under the said bridge.

External links

Media related to Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo at Wikimedia Commons

• Rainbow Bridge (Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd.) (in Japanese)
• Rainbow Bridge at Structurae