Map photo below by Filpro (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Many of our recent blogs have highlighted some of the most architecturally creative and unique man-made pedestrian bridges in the world. Some bridges, however, aren't man-made - they're created by forces of nature. To see one of our favorites, let’s journey to one of the rainiest places on earth, Meghalaya, India.
The Ficus elastic, also known as the rubber tree, is the particular species chosen to grow into bridges. This tree
It usually takes about 10-15 years for a root bridge to fully develop. This may seem like a long time, but the final product is a very strong pedestrian root bridge that can hold over fifty people at a time.
And instead of wearing out or weakening over time, root bridges get stronger as they get older. It's no surprise then that the locals actually prefer these root bridges over steel bridges, even though some of Meghalaya's current root bridges may be over 500 years old. The most famous root bridge is the “Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge” which is actually two bridges grown from the same tree roots.