There are many types of bridges. The four most common are: beam or girder, arch, suspension and cable-stayed. When deciding the type of bridge to be built at a particular site, the civil engineer must study the nature of the ground, length of the bridge required, the type of traffic using the bridge, and the construction materials that are available.
The simplest type of bridge is the beam or girder bridge. The bridge is supported at both ends.
- Originally bridges were just trees laid across the space to be crossed. Simple bridges like this eventually rot or get washed away, but in some countries they are still being built like this because wood is readily available.
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- Sometimes huge, flat boulders supported by piles of stones were used to form a bridge. This clapper bridge called Postbridge is found in Dartmoor, England. Date for the bridge is around AD 1300.
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 Nature walk in Banff National Park
- Metal beam bridges are still in use where the gap to be crossed isn't very large.
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Joining several beams together with several piers as support allows the bridge to cross a larger space. Many of the wooden bridges have covers to prevent damage from rain and snow.
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The Yo-Shima viaduct crosses the Japanese island of Yo-Shima and connects two main bridges forming part of the Seto-Chu expressway linking the island of Sikoku to Honshu, the main island of Japan. The bridge carries both rail and road traffic and is supported on 4 m thick reinforced concrete piers. (photo courtesy of Dr. Loov) |
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Civil Engineers are also hired by oil & gas companies.
This is a natural gas pipeline crossing the Thompson River on Highway 1 in British Columbia.
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