What is this "bridge" over the Suez Canal?
At this location on Google Maps, there appears to be a bridge over the Suez Canal. Wikipedia states that no such bridge exists, and it does not exist on Bing, but in the Google images there is clearly some structure with vehicles both queueing up an driving over it.
What is this? Is there a bridge there?
Best Answer
This bridge appears to be a permanent installation. In Google Earth, the first evidence I can see of its construction is June 2018:
In February 2019, you can see the completed bridge out of the way of ship traffic:
It is first seen closed in August 2019:
November 2019 shows the bridge in action:
Pictures about "What is this "bridge" over the Suez Canal?"
Is there a footbridge over the Suez Canal?
El-Ferdan Bridge, also called El-Ferdan Swing Bridge or Al-Firdan Railway Bridge, longest rotating metal bridge in the world, spanning the western shipping lane of the Suez Canal in northeastern Egypt, from the lower Nile River valley near Ismailia to the Sinai Peninsula.Is there a road over the Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal Bridge, also known as the Egyptian\u2013Japanese Friendship Bridge, Al Salam Bridge, Al Salam Peace Bridge or Mubarak Peace Bridge, is a road bridge crossing the Suez Canal at El-Qantara, whose name means "the bridge" in Egyptian Arabic. The bridge links the continents of Africa and Asia.Who owns the Suez Canal in 2021?
The canal is operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt.What flows through the Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, making it the shortest maritime route to Asia from Europe. Since its completion in 1869, it has become one of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes.Suez Canal Bridge - Mubarak Peace Bridge - Al Salam Bridge - Egyptian Japanese Friendship Bridge
More answers regarding what is this "bridge" over the Suez Canal?
Answer 2
It looks like a pontoon bridge, which is in the water.
Those are often used as a temporary solution and can be taken out without leaving (many) traces when no longer needed.
They are also easier to put in than other kinds of bridges.
As the pontoons are in the water and the road surface only a bit above, it blocks all traffic on the water, so usually there is a part that can be floated away to let shipping go through. But it is not the easiest thing and mostly pontoon bridges are not kept longer than needed.
I bet that you will not find this bridge on photos of an other year, maybe not even from an other month, week or even day.
It may be that the ferry was out of use or that there were other problems which made for a need for a temporary bridge. And seeing the amount of trucks I think that is proven.
In an other answer is mentioned that this is/might be a new connection, meant to be a long term feature.
(Answer edited based on the answer by Andrew.)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Julia Volk, Valentin Vesa, Collin Nederhood, Dids