The , which connects the island of à Âshima to the main part of Shikoku, was the world's longest suspension bridge structure when completed, in 1999. The bridge is part of the Shimanami Kaidà Â, an expressway that spans a series of islands and connects Hiroshima Prefecture in Honshà « to Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku, which is the smallest of Japan's four main islands. The bridge and the expressway were both conceived by the Honshà «-Shikoku Bridge Project.
The Kurushima Kaikyà  Bridge consists of three successive suspension bridges with six towers and four anchorages. There is a shared anchorage that joins each suspension bridge to the next. Its construction is similar to the western portion of San FranciscoâÂÂOakland Bay Bridge which is two successive suspension bridges with four towers and one shared anchorage. The bridge's total length of , is just a little longer than the total length of the two-tower Akashi Kaikyà  Bridge, which is .