Greece’s Corinth Canal Submersible Bridges Are A Uniquely Strange Solution To A Nonexistent Problem

Andy Kalmowitz / JalopnikWhether it's the ancient history of things like the Parthenon and the Agora in Athens, the coastal beauty of its many islands and the shores of Nafplio, or the amazing food, there are countless reasons to visit Greece. Of course, those are all the normal reasons you'd come to Greece, and if you just stuck to them, I'm sure you'd have a great time, but you'd be missing out on something truly amazing: the two submersible bridges of the Corinth Canal that connect the Peloponnese, specifically the Isthmus of Corinth, with mainland Greece.

For the most part, the world has solved how to design a drawbridge that'll allow for cars to pass over a body of water while also allowing for marine traffic to pass through occasionally. As you know, they lift and open in one or two sections, allowing boats to pass through the middle. The Greeks, being an unorthodox people (aside from their main religion), decided this wasn't a suitable solution for two sections of the Corinth Canal and created what can only be described as a real headscratcher. Unlike a normal bridge that allows for marine traffic, the submersible bridge, well, submerges, and while it was deeply fascinating to watch in action, as I did on a recent vacation, I can't help but think it's also a bit silly. The rest of the world clearly agrees, as there are only two of them in existence at either end of the canal.

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Each side of the bridge has two massive hydraulic lifts that raise and lower the 108.3-foot-long wooden roadway, which also contains a footpath in between so people can walk from one side to the other. Unfortunately, that's where one of the bridge's drawbacks comes in — since it's soaking wet, the footpath is a bit slippery right after it comes out of the water. It's a small price to pay for such an engineering marvel.

In any case, the two lanes of traffic and footpath mean the bridge is a full 23 feet wide. It's not clear exactly how much power these babies are putting out, but considering the fact that the roadway is lowered over 26 feet means there is a hell of a lot of saltwater holding it down. In fact, the bridge's maximum allowed uniform load is 7,119 pounds per square foot, according to AllOverGreece.com, so you best believe this thing is sturdy, and those motors provide some serious pulling power.

26 feet may sound like a lot, but the main selling point of the submersible bridge is the idea that it won't obstruct a ship. Even a conventional drawbridge will have certain height limitations, whereas this will not. Of course, there is a lower limitation now, which can severely hamper how large a ship can be that goes through the Corinth Canal, especially if it's a sailboat thanks to its keels. Obviously, the Greeks aren't too worried about the problem, as they've been around since 1985 and are still kicking.

There are other practical issues like speed, though. Since there's so much weight to deal with, the vertical speed of the bridge is 13 feet per minute, meaning the sinking or refloating procedure takes about three and a half minutes in each direction, and for safety reasons, the bridge is sunk a full 15 minutes before a ship approaches. That's a long, long time — especially as traffic begins to pile up.

Also piling up are onlookers. These bridges draw a crowd. While visiting the bridge in Corinth, my fiancée and I were two of no less than a dozen people who were standing on either side of the bridge watching it go up and down, and that doesn't even take into account the fact that there are restaurants on either side of the canal with outdoor seating meant specifically for people to watch the Submersible Bridge in action.

People love these things. Much like Greece itself, the Submersible Bridge is a bit nonsensical and silly, but it's also a fascinating thing to see in action. I'm not going to tell you to take the 10-plus-hour flight to Greece for the express purpose of checking out the Submersible Bridge for yourself, but if you're there, it may just be worth stopping by. Grab a bite while you're there. Nobody is in a rush. The Greeks certainly aren't.