When we’re driving on the road, we have reason to be concerned about our safety and the safety of our families. After all, we’re driving tons of steel down a road at breakneck speed while trying to dodge other people who are doing the same thing. That really sounds terrifying, typing it out like that, but it’s true. Growing up in Arkansas, I saw a lot of big hills and huge curves because I lived in a mountain area, but none of what I saw was quite like this bridge. Did you know that there’s a real fear of crossing bridges?
It’s called Gephyrophobia and in most cases, the phobia isn’t rational as many phobias aren’t. However, sometimes we encounter a bridge that makes us all suddenly understand people who suffer from this phobia. The “Roller Coaster Bridge” is called that because of its unusual design, but it’s officially named the Eshima Ohashi bridge and it’s located in Sakaiminato, Japan. Why would anyone make such a dangerous bridge, you may be wondering? The fact is, the river that the bridge crosses has lots of boat traffic and the engineers and city planners wanted to ensure that boats would be able to cross without interference from traffic.
Rumble video screengrab
Maybe a bridge that lifts up in the middle (a draw bridge) was out of the budget, or perhaps they had some other reason not to build one. But wow, this bridge is a doozy. With this bridge, even the tallest boats can still go underneath it easily. It may look like an engineering marvel, but the fact remains that it’s a very steep incline that probably wreaks havoc on brakes and transmissions, but also, it causes a lot of anxiety for people who are crossing it. Honestly, I’m not afraid of bridges but I’d probably have to do some very deep breathing if I had to cross this bridge. I don’t love heights.
Rumble video screengrab
The government claims that there is no cause for concern because the bridge is totally safe for all vehicles. So far, there haven’t been any accidents on the bridge and it’s even a huge tourist attraction for the city. I’m sure thrill-seekers love it. Check out the video of this terrifying bridge below. No thanks!