Bridge Over
How is a bridge built over water?
I've always wondered how the engineers construct a bridge over water. Do they actually block the water in order to put the supports down? And what guarantees the supports won't move once in the water? There's constant motion, isn't it?
There are probably as many different ways to build a bridge as there are bridges, and the design of the bridge and building technique often are designed based on the specifics of the situation.
Sometimes a river may be dammed temporarily for the construction. Other times construction may be done from a ship or barge. Piers may be sunk into the riverbed and the support structure and decking pre-built on shore and lifted into place using cranes mounted to the piers. Suspension bridges may be built by running cable over piers and hanging work in progress from the cables. The structure may actually be built as a cantilevered beam until it reaches the other side, often with both sides being built concurrently and meeting in the middle.
There are many factors to consider in addition to the current of the water. Is there seasonal variation in current? Freezing? Variations in water depth? Is there a lot of silt that can cause erosion? What is the composition and stability of the ground, whether underwater or not, where the piers mount? Expansion due to temperature change must be accounted for. The bridge must be able to withstand winds. It needs to provide drainage for rain water.
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