MECHANICAL ENGINEERING HERITAGE NO.23

The Chikugo River Railway Lift Steel Bridge

The Chikugo River Railway Lift Steel Bridge is a railroad bridge of the Saga Line of the old Japan National Railways opened in 1935. The bridge, 507.2 m long in total, is the oldest existing lift bridge and has been the largest in scale in Asia since its construction (a scale model was exhibited at the Paris Exposition in 1937). The bridge system consists of wire ropes arranged in the movable 24-m-long, 48ton beam and in the 30-m-high hoisting tower, being winded up with the motor set at one side. The system was especially invented and designed for this bridge, and the elevation and speed were the highest in Japan at that time.

The railway was abolished in 1987, and the defunct track site was rebuilt as a walking trail at a later date. The moving beams at the center were preserved in working condition for sightseeing. The bridge was nationally designated as an Important Cultural Property in 2003.

On exhibition

Over Oaza Mukaijima, Okawa-shi, Fukuoka Over Morodomi-cho Oaza Tameshige, Saga-shi, Saga

Hours open:
9:00–17:00
Admission fee:
Free
Days closed:
Mondays If Monday falls on a holiday, closed the following day
Address:
Oaza Mukaijima, Okawa-shi, Fukuoka Morodomi-cho Oaza Tameshige, Saga-shi, Saga
Tel:
+81-944-87-9919 (Chikugo River Vertical Lift Bridge Tourism Bureau)
Access:
Get off at Nishitetsu Yanagawa Sta., take bus to JR Saga Sta. stop (10 min. on foot) Get off at JR Saga Sta., take bus for Yanagawa (to Morodomi-bashi stop; 10 mins. on foot)

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