Girder is a term used in construction to refer to a supporting,

horizontal beam that can be made from a variety of construction

materials such as stainless steel, concrete, or a combination of these
materials. A girder bridge is a basic, common type of bridge where the
bridge deck is built on top of such supporting beams, that have in turn
been placed on piers and abutments that support the span of the
bridge. The types of beams used for girder bridges are usually either I-
beam girders, so called because their shape is reminiscent of a capital
Roman letter I, or box girder beams that are made of steel or concrete
and shaped like an open box. Girder bridges are most commonly used
for straight bridges that are 33-650 feet (10-200 m) long, such as light
rail bridges, pedestrian overpasses, or highway fly-overs. The longest
girder bridge in the world is 2,300 feet (700 m) long and located in
Brazil.
There are four types of girder bridges, classified depending on the
construction material and type of girders used. A rolled steel girder
bridge is built using I-beams made from prefabricated steel, while a
plate girder bridge is constructed by welding flat pieces of steel
together on-site to make the I-beams. Concrete girder bridges are
constructed using concrete I-beam girders that can be made from
various kinds of reinforced concrete, including pre-stressed concrete
and post-tensioned concrete. A box girder bridge can be made from
either steel or concrete, and uses box girders to support the bridge
deck.
Whether I-beam girders or box girders are used to construct a girder
bridge depends on various factors. It is easier and cheaper to build and
maintain a girder bridge using I-beam girders. However, these girders
do not always offer sufficient structural strength and stability if the
bridge is very long or the bridge span is curved, because they are
sensitive to the twisting forces, or torque, such a span is subject to.
Box girders are preferred for such bridges. There have been concerns
raised of corrosion of box girders, especially if rain water seeps into
the open space inside the girders.
Girder bridges belong to a category of bridges called beam bridges.
This category of bridges includes girder bridges, truss bridges and
trestle bridges. Beam bridges can be constructed by using a wide
variety of materials including stone, timber, steel, iron, and concrete.
An example of a basic type of beam bridge is a log or slab of stone laid
across a creek.