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35 Examples Of Brilliant Infrastructure That Show Why Engineers Who Think Outside The Box Must Be Celebrated, As Shared In This Group (New Pics)
It’s human nature not to see things that sit right behind our noses. From little details to the complex structures we’re surrounded by every single day.
One such example is the city infrastructure you live in. Our environment is made up of the seemingly never-ending and complex net of physical and organizational structures and facilities, from buildings and roads to power supplies and waste management that make our lives easier, better, and more efficient.
Luckily, there’s this awesome community on Reddit that by sharing high-quality images of incredible infrastructure from all around the world, gives this often overlooked aspect of society the appreciation it deserves. We wrapped up some of the most interesting examples shared on the subreddit for you to enjoy, so I leave the stage to them!
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#1
India Has Constructed A 16 Km Long Elevated Highway As To Allow Wild Animals To Pass Underneath It
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#2
Netherlands Land Bridge
#3
Crab Overpass On Christmas Island, Preventing Migrating Crabs From Getting Ran Over
A recent report suggests that by 2050, more than 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, a growth of 2.5 billion from today. And to meet the needs of their citizens, cities are investing heavily in infrastructure and building space and constantly looking for optimal solutions to cater to this whopping population.
According to Robert Puentes, the president and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, which is a non-profit think tank with the mission of improving transportation policy and leadership, well-developed infrastructure is much more than what meets the eye. He argues that rotten roads equal bum economy.
#4
Sart Canal Bridge - La Louvière, Belgium
phil blanque 3 years ago
This is quite amazing, considering the immense weight of the water, which is always there, and the need to assure it does not leak significantly. Very bold and beautiful.
#5
Hands Bridge, Vietnam
Billy Bob the 4th 3 years ago
Went there a few years ago, at Bana Hills. It also has the 3rd (I think) longest suspended car ride. That said, the hands aren't stone and the moss/stone texture is painted on. Still really nice though.
#6
Does Beaver Infrastructure Count? This Was At Least 10 Feet Tall, And Extremely Well Built
John Whick 3 years ago
Yes, beaver are short hairy people who have big teeth and eat plants, we accept that in society already
“Concrete, steel, and fiber-optic cable are the essential building blocks of the economy. Infrastructure enables trade, powers businesses, connects workers to their jobs, creates opportunities for struggling communities and protects the nation from an increasingly unpredictable natural environment,” Puentes argues.
According to Puentes, infrastructure is the backbone of any healthy economy and it includes anything from private investment in telecommunication systems, broadband networks, freight railroads, energy projects and pipelines, to public spending on transportation, water, buildings and parks.
#7
Brusio Spiral Viaduct, Switzerland
#8
Floating Solar Power Plant In Ramagundam, India
M O'Connell 3 years ago
100MW capacity, and serves to reduce evaporative losses from the reservoir it is floating in.
#9
Friedrich Bayer Bridge, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Incredibly, Brookings Institution analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data revealed that 14 million people have jobs in fields directly related to infrastructure. Think of locomotive engineers, airline pilots, truck drivers: these professions make for nearly 11 percent of the nation’s workforce.
#10
Chengyang Yongji Bridge In Liuzhou City, China
#11
The World's Oldest Underground Station 157 Years Apart
#12
A Curve At B31, 79874 Breitnau, Germany
Puentes explains that the US has seen tremendous growth in population with 25 million people added in the past 10 years, which is concentrated in the 50 largest metropolitan areas. “It will place new demands on already overtaxed infrastructure. Metropolitan areas must be ready to adapt not only to serve millions of new customers but also to help poorer residents, many of whom are jobless, have the best chance possible to find work,” he states.
#13
Sea Cliff Bridge, New South Wales, Australia
Sue Maynes 3 years ago
A lot of comments refer to the rock falls that made the old road a danger, but my extended family lived around this area for several generations and the long-term danger was the sea eroding the face of the cliffs. In some areas, land once extended up to 200 yards on the sea side of the road, houses sat between it and the sea cliffs. Those houses have disappeared in some parts. The danger in this specific area came from both the sea and the rock falls.
Jo Berry 3 years ago
Yep. It was the main road to head to the south coast beaches of NSW. Every year rock slides would close the road for days. Usually around school holidays when people are travelling the most. There is a highway now that is faster but this road is a beautiful tourist drive that starts on the edge of Sydney and goes through a national park and then skirts the coast pretty much the whole way to Melbourne
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Eunice Bentley 3 years ago
I am wondering about the letters on the road support pillars I see an R, an M, and an E
Mary Peace 3 years ago
I wonder if it was an advert, that now has some letters missing?
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Downunderdude 3 years ago
I agree. This is a quite spectacular piece of civil engineering. The old road was constantly getting blocked by rockslides which meant a two hour detour. It's near Wollongong in NSW and worth a visit if you're in Oz.
Alban Bizet 3 years ago
There is a very impressive one in La Réunion now 1l-image-R...ighway.jpg 
Gautam Balachandran 3 years ago
Tour guide : To the right you can see the perfectly safe but now dilapidated old road. And to your left a terrifying drop to almost certain death. Welcome to Australia!
Sue Maynes 3 years ago
When I was a child, that old road had quite a lot of land on the sea side and was not right on the edge, but rock falls from above often closed it. The sea was gradually making the road unsafe as it eroded the cliff sides below the road. Brilliant solution otherwise access to the communities along that area would have gone. Gautam, in fact, that old road was a massive danger. Your comment is ridiculous.
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Elly Clifton 3 years ago
I live 5 mins from this bridge, it's lovely to walk over and get sun rise pics on it
Susan Zealey 3 years ago
The highway/freeway is inland but there are small towns dotted along this route, they lost a lot of business when this road was built
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Dragon Bridge, Vietnam
#15
A Rare Mid-Construction Shot Of The Golden Bridge Being Built In California, 1935
“Despite the importance of infrastructure, the US has not spent enough for decades to maintain and improve it. It accounts for about 2.5 percent of the economy, compared to about 3.9 percent spent in Canada, Australia and South Korea, 5 percent for Europe and 9-12 percent in China,” Puentes continues.
He adds that the US must spend at least $150 billion more a year on infrastructure through 2020 to meet its needs. This would add about 1.5 percent to annual economic growth and create at least 1.8 million jobs. The question is, will they do this?
#16
The Uninhabited Island Of Baljenac In The Adriatic Sea
Uninhabited except for a 14-mile network of low stone walls. Built by residents of a nearby island to separate crop fields and vineyards.
#17
High Speed Trains In Nanjing, China
#18
Road Connecting Different Islands In Åland Islands
DennyS (denzoren) 3 years ago (edited)
Is it possible to buy one of those and live all alone and only go out when you need supplies? Asking for a friend who is me.
#19
Panlong Road Aerial View
#20
Curved Pedestrian Bridge Links Two Riverfront Parks In Providence, Rhode Island
C G 3 years ago (edited)
So this fails to mention that this is actually a repurpose of a bridge for an interstate that was rerouted. Overall the redevelopment here has been amazing. The glass looking building there is a collaborative community workspace where there was once an elevated freeway.
#21
Arc De Triomphe, From Above
#22
The Escalators At The Wheaton Metro Station In Maryland Are The Longest Single Span Escalators In The Western Hemisphere At 230 Feet. I'm Surprised No Action Movie Fight Scenes Have Been Filmed Here
#23
New Cycling Lane In Delhi, A Sign Of Things To Come For The Whole City
#24
Mountain And Sea Trail In Xiamen, China
#25
Forth Rail Bridge, Scotland
Frank Hassler 3 years ago
Is that the Firth of Fouth? Or did it take them just 4 tries to make such an excellent bridge?
#26
Ashalim Solar Power Tower, Negev Desert, Israel
#27
Fukashiro Dam, Yamanashi, Japan
#28
Warsaw Subway. Because It's Very Young System, New Stations Look Very Impressive. It's Also One Of The Cleanest Subway Systems In Europe
#30
Intersection In Zagreb, Croatia
#31
Thyssenkrupp Elevators Test Tower In Guangzhou, China
#32
Chicago's Wells Street Bridge
Potato Chimps 3 years ago
What's super cool about this river is that they reversed the flow to prevent the spread of disease. Not only is it beautiful, but amazing engineering as well.
#33
Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway China
#34
Urban Ropeway, Kisha-Michi Bridge, Yokohama, Japan
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
We need this in Nashville, Tennessee. Downtown has not enough parking and LOTS of people who could commute this way.
#35
Underground Urban Highway In Tehran, Iran
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
So sad that Iran is now adversarial with most of the "free" world. The Persian people have an amazing culture and we enjoyed a good relationship with them for a long time. I hope we can somehow get back to that. Supporting the Shah turned out to be a huge mistake.
#36
Tunnel Exits And Precarious Pylons, Boundary Dam, Wa
#37
Trains In Tokyo, Japan
Kay Phillips 3 years ago
These are literally just trains. How is this brilliant infrastructure?
#38
Elevated Highway In Central Hong Kong
#39
The Amount Of Highway Posts Recently Has Been Disturbing, So Here's St Pancras And Kings Cross Termini In London
#40
Intersection Of Chiba Urban Monorail, Japan
#41
Aquawater Park, Qatar
#42
A Scene At Chongqing, China
#43
NYC Subway Trains On The Williamsburg Bridge
#44
Under Construction Western Dedicated Freight Corridor In India
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
Nice post, BP. Of course I like anything that's not another AITA repost.
Zophra 3 years ago
So I look at this amazing design and engineering and I see what incredible technologies other fields have developed, and I wonder why don't we live in a cleaner world? Is there no money in developing clean technologies? No creative intelligent people wanting to enter that field? Why have we as humankind progressed in so many areas but not in living cleanly with our environment? Just my reoccuring pensive depressing thought.
Powerful Katrinka 3 years ago
Because of the sheer volume of money made by oil companies. Right from the very beginning, oil companies have worked to crush all alternatives. For example, Los Angeles originally had a highly successful light-rail system. Big Oil got friendly with the city government (money changed hands) and the rail system was torn out to make way for freeways. And right up to today, oil companies are pulling the exact same s**t.
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Crowsgoin*brrr* 3 years ago
Meh, this isn't something that I would be proud of, yes some beautiful things... but all them roads? Nope
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Gavin Johnson 3 years ago
Some interesting engineering feats but let’s be honest, some of these are examples of how inventive human beings can be when they are wrecking our planet. Destroying the earth even when it is pretty is still destroying the earth. An elevated road or bridge that animals can use is still changing their behaviours and expecting them to adapt to our presence, this is still putting our needs ahead of theirs.
Thomas Moore 3 years ago
I'm surprised Sydney (Australia) didn't get a spot here, it's certainly got some... Interesting roadways.
Locked In The Cellar 3 years ago
The Delta Project in the Netherlands is missing! A giant storm surge barrier that is open to let the tides through and preserve the sea life on the inside, but can turn into a closed dam when there's a storm coming.
broken_guy 3 years ago
Hi Guys! I thought it would be a good idea to make a subreddit for Bored Panda. This is a place where you can share your favourite Bored Panda posts, funny comments or any posts you think should be on Bored Panda. Please tag appropriately. I'm trying to make sure that Bored Panda finds out about this themselves. Here's the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/BoredPanda/.
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
Nice post, BP. Of course I like anything that's not another AITA repost.
Zophra 3 years ago
So I look at this amazing design and engineering and I see what incredible technologies other fields have developed, and I wonder why don't we live in a cleaner world? Is there no money in developing clean technologies? No creative intelligent people wanting to enter that field? Why have we as humankind progressed in so many areas but not in living cleanly with our environment? Just my reoccuring pensive depressing thought.
Powerful Katrinka 3 years ago
Because of the sheer volume of money made by oil companies. Right from the very beginning, oil companies have worked to crush all alternatives. For example, Los Angeles originally had a highly successful light-rail system. Big Oil got friendly with the city government (money changed hands) and the rail system was torn out to make way for freeways. And right up to today, oil companies are pulling the exact same s**t.
Load More Replies... Crowsgoin*brrr* 3 years ago
Meh, this isn't something that I would be proud of, yes some beautiful things... but all them roads? Nope
Load More Replies... Gavin Johnson 3 years ago
Some interesting engineering feats but let’s be honest, some of these are examples of how inventive human beings can be when they are wrecking our planet. Destroying the earth even when it is pretty is still destroying the earth. An elevated road or bridge that animals can use is still changing their behaviours and expecting them to adapt to our presence, this is still putting our needs ahead of theirs.
Thomas Moore 3 years ago
I'm surprised Sydney (Australia) didn't get a spot here, it's certainly got some... Interesting roadways.
Locked In The Cellar 3 years ago
The Delta Project in the Netherlands is missing! A giant storm surge barrier that is open to let the tides through and preserve the sea life on the inside, but can turn into a closed dam when there's a storm coming.
broken_guy 3 years ago
Hi Guys! I thought it would be a good idea to make a subreddit for Bored Panda. This is a place where you can share your favourite Bored Panda posts, funny comments or any posts you think should be on Bored Panda. Please tag appropriately. I'm trying to make sure that Bored Panda finds out about this themselves. Here's the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/BoredPanda/.
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