North America’s tallest bridge towers and pylons (Las torres y pilones de puentes más altos de América del Norte)

Posted on January 29, 2023 by problogic
Puente Tampico in Mexico – Source: megaconstrucciones.net

The following list identifies the tallest bridge towers and pylons in North America. Such support structures are principally found on cable-stayed and suspension bridges and the height is measured from ground or water level to the top of the tower/pylon. The list does not include bridge piers nor arches. A minimum height of 200 feet was required for inclusion in the list.

Golden Gate Bridge – photo by the blogpost author

Metropolitan areas with the most bridges represented on this list include:

  • NewYork City = 11
  • Vancouver = 5
  • Philadelphia = 4
  • San Francisco/Oakland = 4
  • Santo Domingo = 3
  • Detroit/Windsor, Halifax, Los Angeles, Panama City, Washington, Huntington, St. Louis, Quebec City, and Louisville = 2 each

Countries/territories represented on the list are Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

Those bridge shown in bold italics, the blog author has driven/ridden or walked across.

Impressive Puente Mézcala with the tallest towers/pylons in North America – Source: megaconsturcciones.net

_______

  1. Puente Mezcala (1993) – Mártir de Cuilapán, Mexico = 774 feet

2. Golden Gate Bridge (1937) – San Francisco, California = 746 feet

3. Puente El Carrizo (2013) – El Palmito, Mexico = 741 feet

4. Gordie Howe International Bridge (2024) – Detroit-Windsor, Michigan/Ontario = 722 feet

5. Puente Atlantico (2019) – Colon, Panama = 697 feet

6. Verrazano Narrows Bridge (1964) – New York City, New York = 693 feet

7-8. George Washington Bridge (1931) – New York City, New York/New Jersey and Puente Centenario (2004) – Panama City, Panama = 604 feet

9. Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (2005) – Charleston, South Carolina = 575 feet

10. Pont Champlain (2019) – Montreal, Quebec = 558 feet

11. Puente Baluarte (2012) – Concordia, Mexico = 554 feet

12. Mackinac Bridge (1957) – Mackinaw City, MI = 552 feet

13. New Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge (under construction) – Corpus Christi, Texas = 538 feet

14. San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge western part (1936) – San Francisco-Oakland, California = 526 feet

15. San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge eastern part (2013) – San Francisco-Oakland, California = 525 feet

16-17. Puente de la Unidad (2003) – Monterrey, Mexico and Audubon Bridge (2011) – New Roads, Louisiana = 520 feet

18-19. Long Beach International Gateway (2020) – Long Beach, California and Houston Ship Channel Bridge (2024) = 515 feet – added 2/15/23

20. Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1950/2007) – Tacoma, Washington = 510 feet

21. Alex Fraser Bridge (1986) – Vancouver, British Columbia = 505 feet

22. Sidney Lanier Bridge (2003) – Brunswick, Georgia = 486 feet

23. Dames Point Bridge (1989) – Jacksonville, Florida = 471 feet

24. Dean Bridge (proposed) – Arkansas City, Arkansas/Mississippi = 450 feet

25. Penobscot Narrows Bridge (2006) – Prospect-Verona, Maine= 447 feet

26. Delaware Memorial Bridges (1951/1968)- Wilmington, Delaware/New Jersey = 440 feet

27. Sunshine Skyway (1987) – St. Petersburg, Florida = 430 feet

28. Fred Hartman Bridge (1995) – Houston, Texas = 426 feet

29. Greenville Bridge (2010) – Greenville, Mississippi/Arkansas = 425 feet

30. Tappan Zee (Mario Cuomo) Bridge (2017) – Tarrytown, New York = 419 feet

31. Carquinez Strait Bridge (2003) – Vallejo, California = 410 feet

32. Skybridge (1990) – Vancouver, British Columbia = 404 feet

33. St. Johns Bridge (1931) – Portland, Oregon = 401 feet (with spires)

34-38. Stan Musial Bridge (2014) – St. Louis, Missouri/Illinois; Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (2012) – Dallas, Texas; Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge (1983) – New Orleans Louisiana = 400 feet; Newport Bridge (1969) – Newport, Rhode Island – added 2/16/23; and Glass City Skyway (2007) – Toledo, Ohio = 400 feet

39. Chesapeake Bay Bridge (WB – 1973) – Annapolis, Maryland = 397 feet

40. Ambassador Bridge (1929) – Detroit-Windsor, Michigan/Ontario = 386 feet

41. Ben Franklin Bridge (1926) – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/New Jersey = 385 feet

42. Pont Pierre Laporte (1970) – Quebec City, Quebec = 381 feet

43. Walt Whitman Bridge (1957) – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/New Jersey = 378 feet

44. Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (1939) – New York City, NewYork = 377 feet

45. William Natcher Bridge (2002) – Owensboro, Kentucky/Indiana = 374 feet

46-47. Great River Bridge (1994) – Burlington, Iowa/Illinois and East Huntington Bridg4 (1985) – Huntington, West Virginia/Ohio = 370 feet

48. Vincent Thomas Bridge (1963) – Los Angeles, California = 365 feet

49. Lions Gate Bridge (1938) – Vancouver, British Columbia = 364 feet

50. Puente Tampico (1988) – Tampico, Mexico = 361 feet

51-52. Port Mann Bridge (2015) – Coquitlam, British Columbia and Veterans Memorial Bridge (1990) – Steubenville-Weirton, Ohio/West Virginia = 360 feet

53-55. Chesapeake Bay Bridge (EB – 1952) – Annapolis, Maryland; Puenta Vidalta (2013) – Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico; and Puente Mauricio Báez (2007) – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic = 354 feet

56. Cochrane-Africatown Bridge (1991) – Mobile, Alabama = 350 feet

57. Throgs Neck Bridge (1961) – New York City, New York = 346 feet

58. Angus L. Macdonald Bridge (1955) – Halifax, Nova Scotia = 338 feet

59. Manhattan Bridge (1909) – Brooklyn-New York City, New York = 336 feet

60. Senator Roth Bridge (1995) – St. Georges, Delaware = 335 feet

61. Emerson Memorial Bridge (2003) – Cape Girardeau, Missouri/Illinois = 330 feet

62-63. Puente Rio Coatzacoalcos (1984) – Veracruz, Mexico and Metro Line 2B Bridge (2018) – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic = 325 feet

64. Ironton-Russell Bridge (2016) – Ironton, Ohio/Kentucky = 320 feet

65. Paseo/Bond Bridge (2010) – Kansas City, Missouri = 316 feet

66-68. Triborough (RFK) Bridge (1936) – New York City, New York; Mid-Hudson Bridge (1930) – Poughkeepsie, NewYork; and A. Murray MacKay Bridge (1970) – Halifax, Nova Scotia = 315 feet

69. Williamsburg Bridge (1903) – Brooklyn-New York City, New York = 310 feet

70. William Harsha Bridge (2000) – Maysville, Kentucky/Ohio = 305 feet

71-73. Varina-Enon Bridge (1990) – Richmond, Virginia; East End Crossing (2016) – Louisville, Kentucky-Indiana; and Golden Ears Bridge – Langley, British Columbia (2009) = 300 feet

74. U.S. Grant Bridge (2006) – Portsmouth, Ohio/Kentucky = 292 feet

75. Bayview Bridge (1987) – Quincy, Illinois/Missouri = 289 feet

76. 5th Street Bridge (2003) – Fitchburg, Massachusetts = 275 feet

77-80. Brooklyn Bridge (1883) – Brooklyn-New York City, New York; Veterans Memorial Bridge (1990) – Port Arthur, Texas; Puente Jesús Izcoa Moure (2008) – Naranjito, Puerto Rico; and Goethal’s Bridge – Elizabeth, New Jersey (2017) = 272 feet

81. Bunker Hill Bridge (2003) – Boston-Cambridge, Massachusetts = 270 feet

82. Puente La Amistad (2003) – Costa Rica = 262 feet

83. Abraham Lincoln Bridge (2016) – Louisville, Kentucky/Indiana = 255 feet

84. Clark Bridge (1994) – Alton, Illinois/Missouri = 250 feet

85. Pomeroy-Mason Bridge (2008) – Pomeroy-Mason, Ohio/Kentucky = 248 feet

86-87. Hendler Cable Bridge (1978) – Pasco-Kennewick, Washington and Indian River Inlet Bridge (2012) – Bethany Beach, Delaware = 240 feet

88. Roebling Suspension Bridge (1866) – Cincinnati-Covington, Ohio/Kentucky = 230 feet

89. Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge (2004) Winnipeg, Manitoba = 223 feet

90. Sundial Pedestrian Bridge (2004) – Redding, California = 217 feet

91. Pont Île d’Orléans (1935) – Quebec City, Quebec = 216 feet

92. Puente Juan Bosch (2001) – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic = 207 feet

93-94. Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge (2008) – Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska/Iowa and Reiman Pedestrian Bridge (2001) – Milwaukee, Wisconsin = 200 feet

Esplanade Riel in Winnipeg – photo by the blogpost author

Likely additions – more information needed

Deh Cho Bridge (2012) – Fort Providence, Northwest Territories = ?

Dunvegan Bridge (1960) – Dunvegan, Alberta = ?

Thousand Islands Bridges (2) – USA/Canada = ?

Talmadge Memorial Bridge (1991) – Savannah, Georgia/South Carolina = ?

Puente Metro 2B (left) in Santo Domingo – Source: losminadigital.blogspot.com
Puente Atlantic in Colon, Panama – Source: skyscrapercity.com

SOURCES:

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