INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — This bridge is steep...exceptionally steep. Or at least that's what these online posts claim, and they have photo and video evidence to support it.
This video of the bridge has been viewed over 5 million times since it was posted earlier this year. A video of it posted to Twitter just two weeks ago has been viewed over 2 million times.
But is that sharp slope seen truly the case?
THE QUESTION
Is this bridge real? Is it really as steep as the video shows?
THE ANSWER
Yes, the bridge is real. But it’s not nearly as steep as the photos and videos make it look.
WHAT WE FOUND
That bridge is called the Eshima Ohashi Bridge and is located in Japan. It connects two cities separated by a lake.
In order to allow ships to pass underneath it, the bridge was designed to be tall. Still, that doesn’t necessitate that it’s incredibly steep as well.
There is a 6.1% gradient on one side of the bridge, and a 5.1% gradient on the other side.
For comparison's sake, the street that has the Guinness World Record for steepest street has a gradient of 37.45%, and the previous record holder isn’t too far behind.
Google Maps calls it the Ejimao Bridge but will still take you to the bridge when you search for the Eshima Ohashi Bridge. Street view on Google Maps will show the bridge doesn’t look nearly as steep as videos and pictures make it appear to be.
Many people who traveled to the bridge also said that in reality, it wasn’t as steep as photos made it seem. While some Trip Advisor reviews acknowledged the impressive slope, most of the reviews came away disappointed with the bridge’s actual steepness.
How does the photo oversell it so much then? The trick is to use a telephoto lens, which ends up compressing the depth of the photo. In many of the scariest photos of the bridge, a shoreline can be seen in the foreground. Those photos were taken a good distance away at another part of the lake.
So if you’re a thrill-seeker hoping to ride up an impossibly steep climb, you might be disappointed if you travel to this bridge. If you’re anyone else, you can travel without fear of driving up or down a near vertical incline.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story said the trick to the illusion is using a wide camera lens. That would actually have the opposite effect and make the bridge look less steep. The story has been corrected to show a photographer would have to use a telephoto lens to make the bridge look as steep as it does.
