Traveling is fun, right? But the thing that many people complain about when traveling around the world is the actual traveling part.
If there was a way to cut travel time in half – sitting in cramped spaces for hours, suffering interrupted sleep and eating bad food – and still get to all the beautiful destinations in the world, would we take it?
Now, what if I told you there was a bridge that would connect Europe and Asia and cut travel times by a whopping 93 percent?
Sounds ideal?
Turkish authorities have similar ideas and have decided to build the world's longest suspension bridge, modelled on the 1915 Canakkale Bridge.
This bridge connects Europe and Asia. Why aren't more people talking about it?! (Burak Akay/Anadolu via Getty Images)
This very long road stretches the entire length of the Dardanelles, the waterway that connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara in the region.
The bridge connects Gelibolu on Turkey's European side with the town of Lapseki in the country's Asian region.
This incredibly impressive bridge connects the two continents with a paved road, meaning people travelling between the two places no longer have to take a ferry, which takes around 90 minutes to get to the other side.
Currently, people who use the bridge can reach the other side in just six minutes.
Can you imagine?
Missed your flight? Don't worry, just cross the bridge. It might not be that easy, but it's a good idea. (KSChong/Getty Images)
The bridge, scheduled to open in 2022, was built by Turkish and South Korean companies and took just five years to complete.
However, the cost was quite high, at $2.7 billion.
“Turkey has overtaken Japan as the country with the longest bridge in the world by center span length, taking first place,” President Erdogan said at the opening ceremony.
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Bu-kyung added, “The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge will put the history of clashes and disputes behind it, become a bridge connecting East and West, and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.”
The bridge has a lot of symbolism that shows its importance and there are many references to Turkish history.
For example, its 2,023 metre size pays tribute to the year 2023, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic.
The bridge's height is also significant: 318 metres symbolises March 18, the day Turkey commemorates its soldiers who died in the Battle of Gallipoli.
If you've ever wondered why there are no bridges in other parts of the world, experts have their say.
For example, wouldn't it make sense to build a bridge across the 4,000-mile-long Amazon River?
The bridge is set to open in 2022, breaking the record. (Burak Akay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Well, that may seem like an obvious decision, but it's not actually a possibility.
Walter Kaufmann, chair of the department of structural engineering (concrete structures and bridge design) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), told Live Science that the reason is simple: “The need to build a bridge across the Amazon is not as urgent.”
Despite the river's length, many of the areas near the river are sparsely populated.
As a result, there are no major roads that can connect the bridge.
