This article is about the structure. For the card game, see Contract bridge.

For other uses, see Bridge (disambiguation)

and Bridges (disambiguation).
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, currently the world's longest suspension span.
The double-decked George Washington Bridge, connecting New York City to Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, is
the world's busiest bridge, carrying 102 million vehicles annually.[1][2]
The Siosepol bridge over Zayandeh River is an example of Safavid dynasty (15021722) bridge design. Esfahan, Iran
Public infrastructure
Grand Coulee Dam spillway.jpg
Assets and facilities
Airports
Bridges
Broadband
Canals
Critical infrastructure
Dams
Electricity
Energy
Hazardous waste
Hospitals
Levees
Lighthouses
Parks
Ports
Mass transit
Public housing
State schools
Public spaces
Rail
Roads
Sewage
Solid waste
Telecommunications
Utilities
Water supply
Wastewater
Concepts
Asset management
Appropriation
Lindahl tax
Build-Operate-Transfer
Design-Build
Earmark
Fixed cost
Engineering contracts
Externality
Government debt
Life cycle assessment
Maintenance
Monopoly

file:///C|/Users/wsu$public.AD.077/Desktop/00.txt[1/16/2015 9:14:46 AM]

Property tax
Public-private partnership
Public capital
Public finance
Public good
Public sector
Renovation
Replacement (upgrade)
Spillover effect
Supply chain
Taxation
Issues and ideas
Air traffic control
Brownfield
Carbon footprint
Containerization
Congestion pricing
Ethanol fuel
Fuel tax
Groundwater
High-speed rail
Hybrid vehicles
Land-use planning
Mobile data terminal
Pork barrel
Rapid bus transit
Recycling
Renewables
Reverse osmosis
Smart grid
Smart growth
Stormwater
Urban sprawl
Traffic congestion
Transit-oriented development
Vehicle efficiency
Waste-to-energy
Weatherization
Wireless technology
Fields of study
Architecture
Civil
Electrical
Mechanical engineering
Public economics
Public policy
Urban planning
Examples[show]
Infrastructure portal
file:///C|/Users/wsu$public.AD.077/Desktop/00.txt[1/16/2015 9:14:46 AM]

v
t
e
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of
providing passage over the obstacle. There are many different designs that all serve unique purposes and apply to
different situations. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the
bridge is constructed and anchored, the material used to make it, and the funds available to build it.
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
3 Types of bridges
3.1 Structure type
3.2 Fixed or movable bridges
3.3 Double-decked bridges
3.4 Viaducts
3.5 Three-way bridges
3.6 Bridge types by use
3.7 Bridge types by material
4 Aesthetics
5 Bridge maintenance
6 Bridge failures
7 Bridge monitoring
8 Visual index
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links
Etymology
The Oxford English Dictionary traces the origin of the word bridge to an Old English word brycg, of the same
meaning, derived from the hypothetical Proto-Germanic root brugjo. There are cognates in other Germanic languages.
History
The first bridges were made by nature itselfas simple as a log fallen across a stream or stones in a river. The first
bridges made by humans were probably spans of cut wooden logs or planks and eventually stones, using a simple
support and crossbeam arrangement. Some early Americans used trees or bamboo poles to cross small caverns or wells
to get from one place to another. A common form of lashing sticks, logs, and deciduous branches together involved the
use of l

file:///C|/Users/wsu$public.AD.077/Desktop/00.txt[1/16/2015 9:14:46 AM]