This
list of the world's highest bridges ranks bridges by deck height. The
deck height of a bridge is the maximum vertical drop distance from the
bridge deck (the road, rail or other transport bed of a bridge) down to the ground or water surface beneath the bridge span. Deck height should not be confused with
structural height, which measures the maximum vertical distance from the uppermost point of a bridge (
e.g. top of the bridge tower) down to the lowest visible point of a bridge, where its piers emerge from the surface of the ground, foundation or water. A separate
list of the world's tallest bridges ranks bridges by structural height.