Jōgakura Bridge

Jōgakura Bridge is a deck arch bridge in the southern Hakkōda Mountains in the city of Aomori in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It carries National Route 394 at a height of above Jōgakura Creek. Located inside of Towada-Hachimantai National Park, the bridge is known as being a place for observing the area's scenic beauty as well as being the longest of its type in Japan.

Description

The Jōgakura Bridge is a and deck arch bridge that carries National Route 394 at a height of above Jōgakura Creek. The bridge's main span has a length of. It is equipped with two meter-wide sidewalks on each side of the bridge. It is the longest deck arch bridge in Japan. The bridge is known as tourist destination because the panoramic views it affords of the Hakkōda Mountains in Towada-Hachimantai National Park. The Jōgakura Bridge becomes especially crowded with tourists when the surrounding Siebold's beech forests begin to change color during autumn.

History

Jōgakura Bridge was opened to traffic on 27 October 1995, replacing an older bridge that was heavily impacted by the rapid deterioration of the columnar jointed andesite rock that it was built on. The total cost of its construction was 87 billion yen.

Suicides

The bridge's height makes it a target for jumpers. In the event of someone jumping from the bridge, the approaches to the bridge are closed to traffic while helicopter teams attempt to recover the jumper from the valley below. Some blame paranormal activity for the suicides, claiming that the bridge and its surroundings are haunted by the spirits of the troops that died in the Hakkōda Mountains incident and that they pull or compel visitors off the bridge, usually at night.