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35 Examples Of Amazing Infrastructure Every Engineer Appreciates, As Shared In This Group
Some photos draw you in and don’t want to let you go, so you spend entire minutes (that feel like small eternities) sitting transfixed, with your eyes on the screen. That’s exactly the feeling we get when we look at the pics featured on this subreddit that’s entirely dedicated to showing off the beauty of infrastructure. After all, (and let’s be cheesy here for a moment) infrastructure doesn’t just connect us together physically—it also connects our hearts through the mutual adoration of aesthetics.
And while the internet watchdogs might censor the full name of this particular online community, what they can’t hide is the love that we feel for beautiful and artistic photos. We’ve collected some of the best photos from the ‘Infrastructure’ subreddit, the home to nearly 225k members, for you to enjoy. So scroll down, upvote your fave photos, and let us know if these images have seduced you away from your (and my) true love—cute cat pics.
According to anthropologist Margaret Mead, however, the first sign of civilization in a culture isn't something that we make (like fishhooks or clay pots); it's how we act towards others. Specifically, our compassion.
I had a chat about infrastructure challenges and problems with an expert from Sweden with a background in urban planning who preferred to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of her work. She told Bored Panda that these challenges depend on whether or not we're looking to build an entirely new settlement or expand the infrastructure of an existing city. What's more, the expert touched upon the fact that we should keep in mind the balance between service reach and health risk factors such as pollution, and how the focus on car-centric infrastructure in the United States and Canada can be seen as a failure. Read on for the full interview.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A1 Highway Ecoduct, The Veluwe, Netherlands
RELATED:
#2
Aqueduct Veluwemeer, Netherlands
Hannah Edwards 5 years ago
Took me a moment to understand this one, I was looking for a drawbridge.
#3
Holland, Michigan's Downtown Has Heated Streets And Sidewalks That Melt Snow And Ice. The System Utilizes Wastewater From A Nearby Power Plant Which Circulates Through 120 Miles Of Plastic Piping Underneath The Pavement. It Can Melt An Inch Of Snow An Hour Even At 20 Degrees Fahrenheit
Pamela24 5 years ago
That's so cool! Reminds me how in Prague there is a swimming pool built close to the national Czech TV. They built them in a similar time and connected those two. Now the water for the pool is being heated by the excessive heat that the TV studios produce and those studios are cooled down by the cold water from the swimming pool. It's genius.
#4
Skytrain Inside Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore
Eva the Egg 5 years ago
I've been here before, there are restaurants down below this and upstairs there are indoor playground for kids, the whole experience there is breathtaking!
#5
Sart Canal Bridge, Belgium
#6
A Cell Phone Tower Disguised As Cactus
#7
An Archipelago In Norway
#8
Ecoducts, Railway, Highway, Roads, Walkways... In Breda, The Netherlands
Brian Bennett 5 years ago
I just love the way nature and progress are combined great forward thinkers looking back to nature.
#9
Shalu Leisure Landscape Trail, Taichung, Taiwan
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
This is a nice idea to turn the ugly underside of an elevated highway into something more tolerable.
#10
Viaduc De Millau - France
#11
A Partial View Of The 30km Long Houtribdijk Dam In The Netherlands. Again, Leave It To The Dutch!
#12
A Village Settlement In Denmark
Black Pug Puppy 5 years ago
Just imagine someone asking where you live 'oh yeah I live in circle 3'
#13
Northern Lights From The Top Of The Mackinac Bridge
#14
The Storseisundet Bridge In Norway
#15
Subsea Undergroundabout, Faroe Islands
#16
Dudhasagar Falls (Sea Of Milk), Goa, India
#17
The Delta Works In The Netherlands, Consisting Of 13 Parts, Together Form The Largest Storm Surge Barrier In The World And Was Declared One Of The Seven Wonders Of The Modern World By The American Society Of Civil Engineers
Fred Van Der Zee 5 years ago
The nice thing is that, instead of building solid dykes, they uses sluices and storm surge barriers that can open, to preserve the natural habitat.
#18
Saint Petersburg Metro, Russia
#19
Another Scale Of Infrastructure, These Salmon Stairs In Sweden
#20
Electric Elevated Railway (Suspension Railway) , Wuppertal, Germany
#21
Cykelslangen (The Bicycle Snake), Copenhagen, Denmark
#22
Highway Interchange Near Tokyo
#23
Project Engineers Demonstrating The Cantilever Principles Of The Forth Bridge In Scotland, 1887
#24
Three Undergound Metro Lines Crossing Eachother At The Place De L'opéra In Paris
Daniele Tigli 5 years ago
It also has a very peculiar odor because it runs on tires, if I'm not wrong
#25
Brutalist Flats In Camden, London
#26
Gordon Dam In Tasmania, Australia
Donkey boi 5 years ago
The bottom part of the pic makes it look like a rollercoaster goes down it!
#27
Botanical Garden In Madrid Atocha Train Statino
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
It's the disused Atocha terminal, not the 90s modern one that's in use. This is all shops and bars.
#28
Roundabout And Bicycle Bridge In The Netherlands
#29
Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol
#30
Bhumibol Bridge, Bangkok, Thailand
#31
Solar Power Plants In The United States Photographed By Bernhard Lang
#32
The Beipanjiang Bridge, Spanning The Nizhu River In China At A Height Of 565 Metres
#33
Pont De Normandie, France
#34
My Developing Country Of Georgia Has Been Renewing Its 20th Century Rust Oven Fleet, With An Armada Of Brand New Electric Buses. Pedestrian Life Just Got Easier
#35
The Tuned Mass Damper Of Taipei 101 Skyscraper. A Tuned Mass Damper Is A Device Mounted In Structures To Reduce The Amplitude Of Mechanical Vibrations. Their Application Can Prevent Discomfort, Damage, Or Outright Structural Failure
Dynein 5 years ago
Rather ingenious, though really a very simple concept - it's a heavy weight at the base of the tower, which suspended by ropes attached to the upper part of the building. If the tower sways to one side, the weight will still point straight downwards and basically pull the top of the building back up.
#36
Kechut Reservoir, Jermuk, Armenia
#37
The Dresden Suspension Railway Is The Second-Oldest Of Its Kind, Dating Back To 1901
#38
Ruyi Bridge In Shenxianju, Taizhou
#39
Glowing Greenhouses In The Netherlands. Photo By George Steinmetz
#40
The Sea Cliff Bridge, Australia
#41
Interstate H-3- Oahu, Hawaii
#42
“It’s Not Possible To Take Such A Photograph Anymore, As The Buildings Outside Block The Sun Rays.” Grand Central, NYC (1929)
#43
A Car Elevator In Chicago, Circa 1936
#44
[oc] Washington Dc Metro Stations Are Still Gorgeous Even If You Get Used To Them
![[oc] Washington Dc Metro Stations Are Still Gorgeous Even If You Get Used To Them](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/60c8663c865a7_43faodod1v621__700.jpg "[oc] Washington Dc Metro Stations Are Still Gorgeous Even If You Get Used To Them")
Logic and Reason 5 years ago
I miss the metro in DC. For whatever reason I really liked the feeling of those stations.
#45
Amager Bakke: Ski Mountain, Hiking Trails An Energy Plant
#46
The Stockholm Telephone Tower With Approximately 5,500 Telephone Lines, 1890
#47
What The Roof Of Notre-Dame Currently Looks Like
#48
Three Bridges In London: A Road Crossing Over A Canal Crossing Over A Railway Line
#49
Manhattan Bridge - New York
#50
Feeling Anxious? Don't Try This Highway Under The Sea Level In The Netherlands
#51
The Slauerhoffbrug, A Drawbridge Over A Canal In Leeuwarden, Netherlands
#52
The Back Side Of Hoover Damn, Under Water Since 1936
#53
I Was Told To Post This Here. Oil Rig Before It Is Underwater
Roshan Dash 5 years ago
These images are from reddit. The title is the reddit post title
Load More Replies... #54
Inside The Main Railway Station In Berlin, Germany
Kirsten Kerkhof 5 years ago
Berlin Hauptbahnhof is stunning, even if I found it a bit confusing those three times I arrived there as a tourist.
#55
Golden Gate Bridge Bring Constructed In 1935
#56
Henningsvaer Fotballbanen (Soccer Field) In Norway
#57
Highest Suspension Bridge In Africa - Mohamed Vi - Rabat, Morocco
#58
Eco-Link Over The Bukit Timah Expressway In Singapore
ThePracticalSarcastic 5 years ago
looks like it was taken during the annual burning of the palm oil plantations in Indonesia.
#59
7 Mile Bridge To Key West, Florida
M O'Connell 5 years ago
The bridge on the left is its predecessor, finished in 1912 as a rail line, now open to pedestrians and cyclists.
#60
Yanweizhou Park Was Designed To Flood During The Monsoon Season To Help Prevent The City Of Jinhua, China From Flooding
#61
Different Generations Of Bridge Design (Forth Rail Bridge 1889, Forth Road Bridge 1964, Queensferry Crossing 2017)
#62
Our New Bicycle Parking Has Opened Today With 5475 Spots
Fred Van Der Zee 5 years ago
Uhmm, Utrecht Central Station has 12,500 spots... and sometimes they have to close the entrance because it's full. Fun fact, there are 17.5 million Dutchies and 23 million bikes.
#63
The Tokyo Subway Network From Above
Lion's Stare 5 years ago (edited)
Mind you this is just the subway lines. There are many more surface trains in the city. Its actually quite insane to see a transportation map of Tokyo
#64
St. John's Bridge Across The Willamette River In Portland, USA
#65
A Railroad Crossing Is Surrounded By Flooding Near Frankfurt, Germany (Michael Probst)
#67
San Francisco Infrastructure
#68
Somewhere In Hong Kong
#70
In 1976, San Jose City Councilman Joe Colla Lifted His Car With A Crane Onto One Of The Unconnected Ramps Of The I-280/I-680 Interchange To Protest It Not Being Finished. It Was Completed 5 Years Later And In 2010, Was Renamed In Honor Of Him
#71
The Minneapolis Skyway System Is The Largest In The World Covering Over 69 City Blocks (11 Miles) Which Allows You To Live, Work, Shop, Dine, Bar Hop, Attend Sporting Events & Concerts Year Round; You Never Have To Go Outside, Unless You Want To
#72
Meyer Werft Shipyard, Papenburg, Germany. Home To The World's Largest Roofed Drydock
#73
Not Brilliant Resolution; But It Compensates By Being An Extraordinary Picture ... & On-Balance It Seemed Well-Fit For Posting
#74
Tapo Bus Terminal In Mexico City
#75
Wind Turbine Blade, Germany
Glynna Bowood 5 years ago
I am more impressed with the transporting of this blade than the blade itself.
#76
Railway Bridge In Nairobi National Park, Kenya
Mohammad Ammar 5 years ago
This isn't beautiful. I heard this railway was really bad for the natural wildlife living there.
#77
The New Main Railway Station In Vienna, Austria
#78
Hong Kong International Airport
#79
Infrastructure That Makes You Go Hmmm
#80
Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Mumbai
#82
These Unique Hybrid Monorails Ran On The Us Capital Subway System From 1915-1961
M O'Connell 5 years ago
What's even more interesting are the systems which came before, and which replaced this one! The first subway cars on this line were Studebaker electric automobiles (1909) driven through the tunnels. The following system uses 'subway cars' which are completely unpowered. They are accelerated by linear motors mounted to the track bed beneath them.
#83
Magdeburg Water Bridge, Germany
#85
Water Tower Near Moncontour, Brittany, France
#86
Liège-Guillemins Train Station In Belgium. It Is Hard To Find A Photo That Captures This Place!
#88
Railways In Tokyo
Carol Emory 5 years ago
There is also a video on Youtube that shows how they switch the rails to re-direct the trains that's amazing!!
#89
Does This Count? Ice Road In Estonia. Speed Limit 10-25 Km/H And 40-70 Km/H. Advised To Avoid The Range Of 25-40 Km/H For Extended Periods Of Time Because Of Resonance. It's Also Illegal To Fasten Your Seat Belts
#90
The Gwangyang Steel Works In Gwangyang, South Korea - The Largest Facility Of Its Kind In The World
#91
The Hague Central Station, The Netherlands
#92
When The Cloverleaf Doesn't Do It For You But You Can't Let It Go
M O'Connell 5 years ago (edited)
Why, though? A cloverleaf wouldn't take up any more space. A more recent development in interchange design is a diverging-diamond, which makes so much more sense once you see one in action.
#93
Crni Kal, In Slovenia
#94
Gotthard Pass In Switzerland
#96
Highway Interchange In Guiyang
#97
Melting Street During A Heatwave In India
#98
San Diego Freeway
#99
The Deepsea Nordkapp Semi-Submersible Oil Rig
#101
Not Sure If This Counts ... But That Id A Huge Interchange
#102
1,5km 5% Ship Escalator | Ronquières, Belgium
#103
Liziba Station, Chongqing
#104
Terminal 1, Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport
#105
Railroad Bridge In Brazil
#106
Mont Blanc Tunnel Entrance In Chamonix, France
#107
Shasta Dam - Under Construction - 1942
#108
"V" Shaped Bridge In Moscow, Russia
Aahzmandus Pervect 5 years ago
I wouldn't say this is a bridge, this is a viewing platform and it's really cool.
#110
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd)
#111
Platforms At Denver Union Station, Colorado, USA
Madzdad the bard 5 years ago
Denver's Airport should also be included, the architecture is beautiful, but then it also has Blucifer, the demon horse statue, ha.
#113
Boston Before And After The Big Dig
#114
Aerial Veiw Of The Launch Pads Along Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
#116
Peachtree Center Transit Station In Atlanta. At 120 Feet Below Downtown It Is Atlanta's Deepest Marta Station And It Is Massive
#118
Before And After Boston's Big Dig
#119
Conveyor Belt Of The Obed Mountain Mine In Alberta, Canada. Regardless Of It Being A Coal Mine I Just Think The Conveyor Belt Is Kind Of Neat
#120
Bridge Between Two Buildings, Chongqing
#121
Kronenburg Tram Station In Amstelveen, Netherlands
#122
Édouard Montpetit Rem Station Excavation, 70m Below Montréal
Ece Cenker 5 years ago
This really puts in perspective the "enormus digging" that happened 3m from our house for a new 3.7m high retaining wall.
#123
World's Greatest Dam (Three Gorges China) Needs The World's Greatest Ship Lock. Steps: 5 / Lanes: 2 / Elevation Change: 175m / F**ks Given: 0
#124
Mackinac Bridge Connecting The Upper And Lower Peninsulas Of The U.S. State Of Michigan
ButterScot 5 years ago
This isn't the best photo of the bridge. It is truly spectacular though.
#125
Since 1998, Carmel, Indiana, A Suburb Of Indianapolis, Has Replaced Almost All Of Its Signalized Intersections With Roundabouts. They Have 125 Now And Plan To Reach 140
#126
Here’s Highway 401 Aka North America’s Busiest Highway At Its Widest Point (18 Lanes) Just Outside Of Toronto, Ontario
Sergy Yeltsen 5 years ago
There is nothing about this that is attractive or interesting. It's just sad.
#127
Bangkok, Thailand
ThePracticalSarcastic 5 years ago
their metro system is excellent! very convenient and well maintained
#128
The Telescope At The Arecibo Observatory In Puerto Rico Has Collapsed, Presumably In A Much Less Awesome Fashion Than In Goldeneye
#130
Solar Panels Covering The Hillside In China's Henan Province
Glynna Bowood 5 years ago
Very disheartening to see this, surely there is a better way to get solar power.
#131
The World's Longest Conveyor Belt. It Carries Phosphate 61 Miles From Bou Craa In Western Sahara To The Port Of Marsa
#132
Unlike Dallas, They Build Flyover Interchanges For Trains In Singapore. Jurong East Interchange Station
#133
“Duga” Radar System, Ukraine
#134
The Only City In Canada With A Complete Controlled-Access Ring Road .edmonton, Alberta
#136
The Vandenberg Space Shuttle Launch Complex That Never Launched A Shuttle
The extensive modifications to Space Launch Complex 6 (casually know as "Slick Six") at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California were largely complete. As seen in the photo, a dummy External Tank, dummy Solid Rocket Boosters, and the Enterprise (a not spaceworthy vehicle used for landing tests) were assembled at the complex for fit tests.
Shuttle landings would have also occurred at the site, so a strip at the base had been extended from 5,500 feet (1,700 m) to 3 miles (4.8 km) in length.
A Shuttle launch from the site, commanded by veteran astronaut (and exceptionally brave guy) Robert Crippen, was scheduled for October 15, 1986.
Then, tragically, on January 28, 1986, Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after liftoff. What followed was a 32 month shutdown the Space Shuttle program. Shuttle launches from Vandenburg were to have been primarily Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office missions and during the downtime they ultimately decided to shift payloads intended for launch by the Shuttle at Vandenburg to expendable rockets, with occasional Shuttles launched from Kennedy Space Center.
After transferring many of the assets of the complex to other locations (KSC, in particular), SLC 6 was formally mothballed on September 20, 1989.
But it wasn't over for the complex. It was retrofitted and reactivated in 1994, first hosting launches of Athena rockets, then Delta IV Mediums and Heavies.
#137
The High Street Cap In Columbus, Oh, A Cost-Efficient Way To Mitigate The Damage Caused To American Neighborhoods By Freeway Construction Of The 1960s. Holds 3 Lanes Of Traffic As Well As Two Commercial Buildings. The Surrounding Area’s Seen Significant Development Since The Bridge Was Built
#138
Future Station Amsterdam South
Glynna Bowood 5 years ago
Given the previous posts of Dutch engineering marvels, this seems pretty ordinary.
#139
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson's Planetrain Is The Most Used Airport People Mover In The World
#141
A Shout Out To Savannah, Home Of The Port Of Savannah, The Largest Container Terminal In North America
#142
A Coal Train Swings Through The Curves At Sully Springs, North Dakota
#143
Newly Constructed Tunnel For Mumbai Metro
Glynna Bowood 5 years ago
Looks like a recipe for disaster- no access anywhere for emergencies.
#144
Paris Train Corridor
#146
Do Nuclear Power Plants Count As Infrastructure? If So, Then Here's The Bruce Nuclear Power Plant In Canada, Also The 13th Most Powerful Nuclear Power Plant In The World, That Generates Around 9% Of Canadian Energy By Itself
#149
Terminal At Berlin's New Brandenburg Airport, Due To Open On October 31 After 9 Years Of Delays And Billions Of Euros Of Cost Overruns Have Become A Major Scandal And Embarrassment To The City
#150
Three Gorges Dam In China. Largest In The World
#152
The Willy Brandt Airport Of Berlin Is Finally Open After A Delay Of Almost 9 Years And Have Over €4 Billion Of Extra Spending
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Brian Bennett 5 years ago
I think I'd like to move to the Netherlands, they seem so innovative but include nature in a lot of their construction. I am really amazed by it all!
If I could I would live under water 5 years ago
Came here to say that! I just love how they think.
Load More Replies...
Matheus Oliveira 5 years ago
So many beautiful examples of architecture around the globe!
There's also this one, from my hometown near São Paulo, in Brazil. It's called Arco da Inovação (Innovation Archway) and it's the only arched and curved suspension bridge in the country.
You can see more about it here: https://estudio.folha.uol.com.br/arcodainovacao/2020/04/1988696-desafio-de-engenharia-e-novo-cartao-postal.shtml 1588014079...6d30b4.jpg 
grey galah 5 years ago
Northern European countries - ahead of the curve. BUT kudos to examples of superb design in other countries too
Carol Emory 5 years ago
The pouring of the foundation of the Space Needle in Seattle, Wa circa 1962. Notice how many cement trucks are there. Space-Need...b5a245.jpg 
Grayson Wrigley 4 years ago
I have recurring nightmares about being forced to drive over unreasonably terrifying bridges. Thank you BP for providing some more nightmare selection. I have to go vomit now.
Vanya Ratulangie 5 years ago
Jakarta's clover bridge is something too! https://images.app.goo.gl/FD2MNbuVUYD3S5jKA
Sanne H. 5 years ago (edited)
The railway station of Luik/Liege in Belgium is also worth mentioning. Maybe not particularly for its engineering, but definitely for its architecture.https://upload.wikim...18_11-36-01.jpg
Kenny Kulbiski 5 years ago
I enjoyed all of these but I've come to the conclusion that most bridge designers would really rather be building roller coasters.
Daniel Marsh 5 years ago (edited)
It's not such a grand architectural wonder like so many are here, but I feel I should give a shout-out to Greenville, SC. The city was built where it was to capture the energy of the Reedy River. The downtown now, however, is built around the Falls of the Reedy, where there is a pedestrian/bicycle viaduct that is a curving suspension bridge over the ravine below the falls, which have now been returned to their natural form. A beautiful urban park, relying on smaller scale versions of engineering masterworks.
denzoren 5 years ago
I live in the Caribbean...basically no amazing infrastructure. I always question my life when I see these posts...I'm missing so much.
Miss Cris 5 years ago
Do you mean big? Size doesn't make a better or worse engineering or architecture. It's a matter of thinking in a lot of complex things, including natural impact, for example.
Load More Replies...
Klaas Brouwer 5 years ago
All the examples of infrastructural works in the USA are from long ago; no single big recent project. That marks that the country is coming more and more behind other countries.
Tapio Magnussen 5 years ago
Being from long ago, they do have extra value, just saying.
Load More Replies...
Brian Bennett 5 years ago
I think I'd like to move to the Netherlands, they seem so innovative but include nature in a lot of their construction. I am really amazed by it all!
If I could I would live under water 5 years ago
Came here to say that! I just love how they think.
Load More Replies... Matheus Oliveira 5 years ago
So many beautiful examples of architecture around the globe!
There's also this one, from my hometown near São Paulo, in Brazil. It's called Arco da Inovação (Innovation Archway) and it's the only arched and curved suspension bridge in the country.
You can see more about it here: https://estudio.folha.uol.com.br/arcodainovacao/2020/04/1988696-desafio-de-engenharia-e-novo-cartao-postal.shtml 1588014079...6d30b4.jpg
grey galah 5 years ago
Northern European countries - ahead of the curve. BUT kudos to examples of superb design in other countries too
Carol Emory 5 years ago
The pouring of the foundation of the Space Needle in Seattle, Wa circa 1962. Notice how many cement trucks are there. Space-Need...b5a245.jpg
Grayson Wrigley 4 years ago
I have recurring nightmares about being forced to drive over unreasonably terrifying bridges. Thank you BP for providing some more nightmare selection. I have to go vomit now.
Vanya Ratulangie 5 years ago
Jakarta's clover bridge is something too! https://images.app.goo.gl/FD2MNbuVUYD3S5jKA
Sanne H. 5 years ago (edited)
The railway station of Luik/Liege in Belgium is also worth mentioning. Maybe not particularly for its engineering, but definitely for its architecture.https://upload.wikim...18_11-36-01.jpg
Kenny Kulbiski 5 years ago
I enjoyed all of these but I've come to the conclusion that most bridge designers would really rather be building roller coasters.
Daniel Marsh 5 years ago (edited)
It's not such a grand architectural wonder like so many are here, but I feel I should give a shout-out to Greenville, SC. The city was built where it was to capture the energy of the Reedy River. The downtown now, however, is built around the Falls of the Reedy, where there is a pedestrian/bicycle viaduct that is a curving suspension bridge over the ravine below the falls, which have now been returned to their natural form. A beautiful urban park, relying on smaller scale versions of engineering masterworks.
denzoren 5 years ago
I live in the Caribbean...basically no amazing infrastructure. I always question my life when I see these posts...I'm missing so much.
Miss Cris 5 years ago
Do you mean big? Size doesn't make a better or worse engineering or architecture. It's a matter of thinking in a lot of complex things, including natural impact, for example.
Load More Replies... Klaas Brouwer 5 years ago
All the examples of infrastructural works in the USA are from long ago; no single big recent project. That marks that the country is coming more and more behind other countries.
Tapio Magnussen 5 years ago
Being from long ago, they do have extra value, just saying.
Load More Replies... 
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