A cross-sea convenience

Before the long, curving bridge in our photo opened in 2015, residents of the western reaches of Dalian, China, had to contend with heavily congested surface streets to reach the city center. The area's steep topography left few options for a new freeway on land, so engineers looked to the sea. The first ground-anchored suspension bridge built in China, the Xinghai Bay Bridge lets travelers zip across more than 4 miles of water off the city's southern coast, its double-decker highways connecting with commuter tunnels on either side.