How Different Bridges Are Built for Different Situations

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Bridges come in all kinds of shapes and sizes but they are essentially built the same way: from the ground up.

Construction always starts with the bridge’s foundations that usually consist of a set of piles, allowing the forces transmitted through the bridge to be evenly distributed to the ground below. The substructure is then located a tier above and is usually comprised of abutments at the bridge’s ends, and piers right above the bridge’s piles. 

Finally, there’s the superstructure, consisting of the deck and other structures in place to help tie the whole bridge together.

Now, that we have outlined how the bridges are built let’s take a look at how many types of bridges there are. There are arch bridges, beam bridges, truss bridges, cantilever bridges, suspension bridges, cable-stayed bridges, rigid frame bridges, and movable bridges.

How is each of these bridges built? How do they look and what purpose do they serve? What is the engineering and technology behind each model? Which are better for cities and which are more fitted for other locations? How do engineers decide which type of bridge to build where? We answer all these questions and more in our video and bring you footage of the bridges.