The is a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

crossing northern

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

between

Shibaura is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Minato ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The district is located between the eastern side of the Yamanote Line train and Tokyo Bay. Shibaura consists mostly of artificial islands created by the excavation of indust ...

Pier and the

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo), Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s. The land was dramatically expanded during the late 20th centur ...

waterfront development in

Minato, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is also called Minato City in English. Minato was formed in 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Tokyo, Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba, Tokyo, Shiba wards following Tokyo City's Local Autonomy Ac ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 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 is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Minato, To ...

, with construction starting in 1987 and completed in 1993. Officially called the " Shuto Expressway No. 11 Daiba Route - Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge", the double-decker bridge is long with a main span of . 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 The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

) or Shibaura-futō Station (

Yurikamome , formerly the , is an automated guideway transit service operated by ''Yurikamome, Inc.'' in Tokyo, Japan. It connects Shimbashi Station, Shimbashi to Toyosu Station, Toyosu, via the artificial island of Odaiba, a market in which it competes with ...

) 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

rapid transit system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separated rapid transit line below ground surface through a t ...

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 , also known as the Japan Radio Tower (, ) is a Radio masts and towers, communications and observation tower in the district of Shiba-koen in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, completed in 1958. At , it was the List of tallest structures in Japan, tallest ...

, while the south side offers views of Tokyo Bay and occasionally

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

. 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.)Tokyo Bureau Of Port and Harbour - Rainbow Bridge
Retrieved October 4, 2015 Bicycles are permitted on the condition that they are pushed (as opposed to riding them) due to its narrow width.

Panorama

Gallery

File:レインボーブリッジ - panoramio (1).jpg, View of the walkway. File:Rainbow bridge - 2018 7 16.webm, Scenes of Rainbow Bridge from ground level and from the air, 2018 File:RainbowBridge20120725.JPG, Rainbow Bridge at night, lit in white lights. File:Rainbow colored Rainbow Bridge at night.jpg, Rainbow Bridge at night, lit in rainbow colors.

References

External links