Different types of bridges

Arch Bridge

The Romans built more than 1,000 stone arch bridges, some of which still survive, such as the Pont-
Saint-Martin bridge in Italy’s Aosta Valley (built in the first century BCE). This bridge design dates back
more than 3,000 years. Concrete is now also used to build modern arch bridges.

A bridge’s load is the weight of the bridge itself (called the dead load), combined with the weight of
whatever it carries (the live load). An arch bridge uses the forces of load and gravity, which otherwise
might send a bridge tumbling downward, to hold it up instead.

An arch bridge works by conveying the downward pressure of gravity inward to the center of the
structure — toward a central stone called the keystone — rather than straight down. This principle is
called compression, and it enables the arch below to support the surface, or deck, above it.

Fixed arch bridges can be destabilized by temperature fluctuations, so the arch design is sometimes
modified with hinges at each base and even the center of the span. This helps longer arch bridges adapt
to the expansion or contraction of their materials when temperatures change drastically.

Beam Bridge

The simplicity of the beam bridge made it the first type of bridge ever built. It’s still the cheapest to
build. All you need is a crossbeam covering the span, supported by an abutment at each end. One type
of beam bridge is a girder bridge, which employs steel girders as reinforcement.

Gravity is a bigger challenge when constructing a bridge because, unlike a building, most of what’s
underneath is empty space. A beam bridge might be supported only by two abutments, one at either
end, to counter gravity and bear the entirety of its load.

But here’s the danger of beam bridges: The longer a bridge is and the more people, cars, and other
things it carries, the heavier its total load. And the farther apart a beam bridge’s abutments are, the less
stable the structure is.

By adding supports in the middle, known as piers or stanchions, and connecting sections between them,
you can create a very long, stable bridge. Examples are the 3.2-mile Yolo Causeway near Sacramento,
California, or the 24-mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana.

In beam bridges, the force of compression pushes the load inward onto piers at the middle of the bridge.
Simultaneously, the pulling or stretching force of tension pulls the load outward toward the abutments
at both ends of the bridge.
Cantilever Bridge

Some bridges are built using cantilever construction. This type uses a pillar anchored vertically into the
ground to support a horizontal deck extending out from one or both sides across the span. The load
often is supported from both above and below. A diving board or platform is a good example of
cantilever construction.

The world’s longest cantilever span belongs to the Quebec Bridge in Canada, which was built in 1919 and
extends 1,800 feet. It surpassed the length of the Forth Bridge in Scotland, which was completed in
1890.

In the U.S., the central section of Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge over Coos Bay in Oregon is a
cantilever. So is the eastern section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (not to be confused with the
Golden Gate). Many cantilever bridges are combined with other types to cross a single span.

Cantilever bridges are often supported with trusses. A bridge truss takes the load off the deck and
transfers it to the supporting piers and abutments, helping the cantilevers withstand tension in the
upper supports and compression in the lower ones.

Suspension Bridge

A suspension bridge is perhaps the most recognizable bridge type in the United States, thanks to the
iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Completed in 1937, it draws more than 10 million visitors
each year to marvel at its twin 746-foot orange towers and sweeping Art Deco effect.

Suspension bridges are just what their name sounds like: They’re stabilized with
vertical pillars or pylons connected by suspension cables. Attached to these main cables are smaller,
vertical suspenders that hold up the bridge deck using tension, the main force that sustains suspension
bridges.

Though the first suspension bridges were made of simple ropes supporting wooden planks, now the
suspension technique supports long spans over broad channels. But because these bridges are only fixed
to the earth in a couple of places (the towers or pillars), they can sway in the wind or vibrate when
crossed by heavy traffic.

Wind or movement across a bridge can create vibrations. When these reach a certain frequency, it can
cause a dangerous phenomenon called resonance — the same principle that causes a glass to shatter if a
trained singer hits a high enough note. If vibrations are intense enough, they can disrupt bridge crossings
and cause a collapse.

Suspension bridges also can be affected by torsion, a twisting force often caused by environmental
factors like wind, which can create dangerous movement. If the surface of a bridge twists enough while
travelers are on it, they can be thrown off.
And while torsion creates stress on a vertical plane, shear imparts a similar effect horizontally. It happens
when environmental forces put pressure in opposite directions on a single, fastened part of a bridge,
breaking it like a stick between two hands.

Cable Stayed Bridge

A cable-stayed bridge is a variation on the suspension bridge that connects the crossbeam or bridge
deck directly to pillars or towers. There’s no main cable, just a large number of vertical
suspenders affixed to the top of the tower. These suspenders use tension to help keep the bridge deck
stable and in place.

The Strömsund Bridge in Sweden is considered the first modern cable-stayed bridge. The three-span
structure was completed in 1956. Its steel and concrete deck is suspended by diagonal cables from two
pylons.

The glass-decked Sundial Bridge, built in 2004 across the Sacramento River in Redding, California, makes
use of the cable-stay technique in conjunction with elements of cantilever and suspension. The famed
Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, is a hybrid cable-stayed and suspension bridge.

Tied-Arch Bridge (Bowstring)

A tied-arch bridge combines features of an arch bridge and a suspension bridge. It uses horizontal thrust
from both sides to support an arched structure, as in a regular arch bridge. But instead of an arch
supporting the structure from below, the arch rises above the road, and vertical ties descend to increase
support of the decking.

These are also called bowstring bridges since they look like a bow from the side. This bow uses the
tension of its vertical cables, together with the compression of the arch, to support the load and keep
the bridge stable.

The wooden-decked Blackfriars Street Bridge in London, Ontario, Canada, is an example of this style. It
carried vehicle traffic from the year it was built, 1875, until 2013, when it was permanently closed.

U.S. bowstring bridges include the Fort Pitt Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, the Lowry
Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, and the Daniel W. Hoan Memorial Bridge in
Milwaukee.

Truss Bridge

A truss bridge distributes its load across a series of small sections fitted together. Formed by structural
beams for smaller bridges or box girders for larger ones, bridge trusses are typically bound together by
welded or riveted joints in a series of triangles.
Vertical steel or wooden supports help hold up the bridge using tension, while the diagonal truss
supports add stability via compression, directing the load toward the center, similar to an arch.

The fairly inexpensive truss design has been around for a long time. Most truss bridges were built of
wood in the 19th century, before a shift to iron and steel. The familiar Pratt truss design features
diagonal segments that slope toward the bridge’s center. It was introduced by Thomas Willis Pratt in
1844.

The Cottonwood River Pratt Truss Bridge in Cedar Point, Kansas, is a classic example of this practical and
widely used design. It was built in 1916 by the Missouri Valley Bridge Company and is on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places.

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