Aioi Bridge

The Aioi Bridge (相生橋, aioi bashi) is an unusual "T"-shaped three-way bridge in Hiroshima, Japan. The original bridge, constructed in 1932, was the aiming point for the 1945 Hiroshima atom bomb because its shape was easily recognized from the air and also because the bridge was close to the center of the city. Although the bridge was not destroyed by the atomic blast, it did sustain heavy damage. After the war, the bridge was repaired and remained in service for nearly four decades, before it was replaced by a new bridge (built as a replica) in 1983. A surviving portion of a floor girder from the original bridge was subsequently donated to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

The original Aioi Bridge

The railing of Aioi Bridge was slanted by the blast of atomic bomb.

The modern reconstructed Aioi Bridge

The area around ground zero after the Hiroshima bombing. The "T"-shaped Aioi Bridge is visible near the center.

The longer part of the bridge crosses the Ōta River just to the north of the island containing the district of Nakajima-cho. The downstroke of the "T" links the main bridge to the island, and is also the north entrance to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.