World’s Longest Bridges to Drive Across: The 33.6-Mile Bang Na Expressway & Louisiana Giants

If bridges make your palms sweat, consider this your warning: we’re about to talk about some seriously long ones. The kind of bridges that stretch so far across water, swamp, or city traffic that you start questioning your life choices somewhere around mile 12.

Some places even have “bridge escort” programs — like the Delaware Memorial Bridge, where hundreds of drivers a year call the police and say, “Yeah… can you just drive my car across for me?” Totally real.

Train bridges technically take the crown for length — the longest in the world is China’s Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge at over 102 miles — but you can’t drive over it. So here are five of the biggest drivable bridges people tackle every day.

1. Manchac Swamp Bridge – Louisiana, USA (22.8 miles)

If you’ve ever driven north of New Orleans, you’ve probably crossed this monster without even realizing how big it is. The Manchac Swamp Bridge carries I-55 over a stretch of deep, marshy swamp that’s so unstable the support piles had to be driven 250 feet into the ground.

It opened in 1979, replacing an earlier bridge that collapsed when a barge hit it. And because this is Louisiana, there’s even a local legend that the swamp is home to the Rougarou — basically a Cajun werewolf. Cross at your own risk.

2. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway – Louisiana, USA (23.9 miles)

Louisiana again, because apparently the state loves a long bridge. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the world’s longest continuous bridge over water, taking drivers from New Orleans to Mandeville across almost 24 miles of lake.

The first span opened in 1956, and traffic grew so fast that a second span arrived in the ’60s. Most of it sits just 10 feet above the water, but there are elevated sections and even a drawbridge for boats. It was also one of the first bridges built using mass-production construction techniques — basically the “assembly line” of bridge building.

3. Metro Manila Skyway – Manila, Philippines (24.4 miles)

Jump across the Pacific and you hit the Metro Manila Skyway — a huge elevated expressway built to give drivers in one of the world’s most congested cities a break.

The project rolled out in phases from the mid-90s through 2021 and used staggering amounts of concrete and steel. And it’s not done yet: a fourth phase, estimated at $1 billion, is already on the way to bring more relief to Manila’s famously brutal traffic.

4. Dhaka Elevated Expressway – Dhaka, Bangladesh (≈29 miles)

Dhaka’s elevated expressway is enormous — roughly 29 miles including ramps — and still under construction after years of delays. Once finished, it’ll help a city known for some of the slowest traffic on earth. (Time Magazine literally called Dhaka the “slowest city in the world.”)

The project stopped in 2024 due to contractor disputes but restarted in 2025 under new leadership. When completed, it should help move millions of commuters who currently spend huge chunks of their day stuck in gridlock.

5. Bang Na Expressway – Bangkok, Thailand (33.6 miles)

For years, the Bang Na Expressway held the title as the longest bridge on the planet — and it’s still the longest elevated highway you can drive. Built right above an existing road, it essentially doubled Bangkok’s traffic capacity over 33.6 miles.

Construction took more than 3.5 years, over 63 million cubic feet of concrete, and about $1 billion. Beyond function, it also gave the city a new architectural landmark, with sweeping flyovers and a dramatic elevated skyline.

If you ever find yourself driving across one of these giants, try not to think too much about the mileage. Just turn up the music, keep your eyes ahead, and enjoy the ride — preferably without imagining that Cajun swamp werewolf.