Bridge

The Iron Bridge, 1781, was the first cast iron bridge

Bridge crossing river d'Ebre, Catalonia.

The longest suspension bridge in the world connects Honshu to Shikoku, Japan.

For other uses, see Bridge (disambiguation).

A bridge is a structure to cross an open space or gap. Bridges are mostly made for crossing rivers, valleys, or roads. Nowadays most big bridges are made to carry vehicles but people have also walked across bridges for thousands of years. Bridges called highway overpasses carry a road over another road.

Military bridges are portable, so that they may be easily moved to where they are needed. This makes them much more complex than most civilian bridges.

The first man-made bridges were probably made from cut wood or stones. Some stone bridges have lasted thousands of years. In recent centuries large bridges are made mostly of steel. They do not last as long. Many bridges are in a state of disrepair.

Types of bridges

There are five major structural types of bridges:

• Beam bridges
• cantilever bridges,
• arch bridges
• suspension bridges and
• cable-stayed bridges

Bridge Media

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  Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey

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  Underneath the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US

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  The old stone-made arch bridge over the Kerava River in Kerava, Finland

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  The Stone Bridge in Skopje, North Macedonia

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  The Siosepol bridge over Zayandeh River is an example of Safavid dynasty (1502–1722) bridge design. Isfahan, Iran.

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  The 13th century Wetherby Bridge spans the River Wharfe.

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  Seasonal bridge north of Jispa, H.P., India. 2010

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  Bridges in Amsterdam, Netherlands

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  Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin, Ireland

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  The covered bridge in West Montrose, Ontario, Canada

Notes

Media related to Bridges at Wikimedia Commons