A 1,500-ton bridge section was lifted into place Sunday on pillars in Tokyo Bay, a milestone in constructing a link between Koto Ward and reclaimed land off the Odaiba district in 2011.
Planners hope the 2.9-km-long bridge, provisionally called Rinkai Ohashi (Waterfront Big Bridge), will ease traffic congestion on National Road 357, which runs along Tokyo Bay between Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture.
The bridge is likely to become a tourist attraction because it will be lit up at night in a design by well-known light designer Motoko Ishii. She has also designed night illuminations for Tokyo Tower and the Yokohama Bay Bridge.
It will have four traffic lanes and a walkway for pedestrians.
About 4,000 ferries and other vessels are expected to pass under the bridge every year.