Concept in Definition ABC

The term bridge is used to designate those constructions that serve to connect different spaces that could not otherwise be accessed. Through the ages, the design and the engineering of the bridges has varied greatly, as well as the material with which it is built and the usefulness, some of them being merely decorative.

Traditionally, the main objective of the building of a bridge has been to circumvent a type of geographic element that prevented (or hindered) the transit by finding a course of Water, a valley or a precipice. Thus, the bridge is built to connect the most extreme points of both sides and it is then allowed to continue the transfer of different types of media of transport. While some bridges are built for the passage of cars and trucks, others are exclusive for trains and railways and others also allow humans to travel on foot. Finally, the famous aqueducts of the Roman period are bridges designed and executed simply for the transfer of water.

Bridges can vary significantly around the material used to make them (some facts being found wood, others of stone and many other modern metals such as iron and steel). They can also vary greatly in the type of construction: while some are bridges that are firmly established on the terrain to be circumvented, others are suspended bridges in the air, perhaps more unsafe but just as passable.

As has been said, many bridges have been built for ceremonial or symbolic purposes. Although these require the same engineering and construction effort, they are not usually as busy as those that are designed for the transfer of means of transport.

Design work, planning and bridge construction is of great importance since the effectiveness and firmness of a bridge must always be assured. This is related to the weight that a bridge can support as well as the wear and tear it undergoes. over time, all issues that undoubtedly must be taken into account when executing the design of a bridge.