A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads.
[2][3] There are five main origins for these bridges: The term "bridge to nowhere" may be used by political opponents to describe a bridge (or proposed bridge) that serves low-population areas at high cost, usually characterizing it as an instance of pork barrel spending.
[4] By extension, it may refer to any undertaking perceived as both pointless and costly.
The colloquial name for a bridge to nowhere in Germany is "Soda-Brücke" (a pun on "so da" = "just there").
Many of the bridges were built in the 1970s as part of the Autobahn network, but the oil crisis and rising environmental consciousness slowed many highway extensions.
A highway bridge near
Castrop-Rauxel
, Germany – built in 1978 but not connected on either end
A former railway bridge over the
Váci út
in
Újpest
,
Budapest
, Hungary – with its rail line defunct in the early 1990s, the cityside approach of the bridge was demolished to create space for construction.
The former
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
bridge at Blandford Forum. Following closure of the line, the span over the river (right) was demolished, and the earth embankment on the left was reused for nearby flood defence work, leaving it as a "bridge to nowhere".
Fort Duquesne Bridge in 1966 before the ramps were completed
Harry Blaney Bridge, Ireland
The
St. Elmo Bridge
in Valletta, Malta has been called a bridge to nowhere since it only leads to a breakwater and a small lighthouse
