Magdeburg Water Bridge

NAME: Magdeburg Wasserstraßenkreuz, the longest navigable aqueduct in the world.

LOCATION: Hohenwarthe, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittellandkanal, crossing over the Elbe River. Coordinates 52°13′52″N 11°42′07″E.

SIZE: Length of 918m (690m over land and 228m over water). Width of 32m. Depth of 4.25m. Enables barges to carry loads of up to 1,350 metric tons.

CONSTRUCTION: Built between 1998 and 2002. Reinforced concrete piers, steel trusses and trough. Required 24,000 metric tons of structural steel and 68,000 cubic meters of concrete. Cost €500 million.

HISTORY: Engineers had conceived of joining the 2 waterways as far back as 1919, but construction was postponed during World War II and then put on hold until the reunification of East and West Germany after the Cold War. Opened to traffic on Oct. 10, 2003.