Bridge

This past weekend China opened the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a new cross-sea tunnel and bridge system located in Guangdong Province, South China. The architectural marvel apparently breaks 10 world records – albeit very specific ones.

Supported by 216 high-tension cables and two large towers, and with a main span of half a mile, the massive Gordie Howe International Bridge is North America's longest cable-stayed bridge, providing a new connection between the USA and Canada.

A new modular mobile flyover bridge allows vehicles to drive overtop of stretches of highway roadwork, instead of waiting to go around them. Known as the ASTRA Bridge, it's intended to make life easier for motorists and safer for roadway workers.

Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, a team made up of high-profile architects and bridge-building experts has proposed a new – and safer – replacement to ensure a similar tragedy can't happen again.

Treyam is a spectacular new project that will bridge a lagoon with a massive 450-m-long infinity pool and hotel. It joins a slew of futuristic designs set to transform the Saudi Arabian desert into a tourist destination as part of the Neom development.

The Bjarke Ingels Group has revealed plans for a massive new development in Bhutan. Named Gelephu Mindfulness City, it will be designed around several eye-catching bridges that serve as both crossings and important buildings.

Humans have been building walls, bridges, and other structures without any steel or mortar reinforcement for a long time. A team led by Holcim has put a 3D-printed spin on the idea, and hopes to use it to revolutionize modern infrastructure.

Production of the cement used in concrete is a major cause of CO2 emissions, so Provencher Roy used an alternative for two bridges in Canada. They were built from concrete that contained recycled glass, reducing its greenhouse gas footprint.

Zaha Hadid Architects continues its recent focus on China with an attractive new bridge. Named the Chengdu West First Bridge, it showcases the firm's trademark style with an elegant curving form that's designed to stand up to extreme weather.

The co-creator of the High Line, James Corner Field Operations, has teamed up with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to extend the raised walkway with an attractive new timber bridge that contrasts with the gleaming modern skyscrapers in NYC.

Admittedly, this footbridge isn't the easiest, nor the most practical way to get people from one side of a river to another – but it might be one of the most creative. The unique crossing rolls 180 degrees to make space for boats to pass under it.

Monitoring the structural integrity of heavily used and aging bridges is complex work that often involves arrays of costly sensors, but new research has demonstrated how smartphones might one day do the heavy lifting.