American Swing Bridges 1797 to 1907
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 16, Issue 4
Abstract
Movable bridges were built for centuries with wood, iron, and steel. The earliest drawbridges of short span were followed by swing bridges. In the United States, swing bridges were originally built across canals such as the Erie and the Chesapeake and Ohio (C & O) with wood and iron. Starting around the Civil War, longer span swing bridges were built across the major rivers of the country. This paper, largely a pictorial history, traces the development of the swing bridge between 1797 and 1907. After 1907 few bascule swing bridges were built, and vertical lift bridges generally replaced them.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 16 • Issue 4 • November 2011
Pages: 170 - 185
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 28, 2009
Accepted: May 19, 2010
Published online: Oct 14, 2011
Published in print: Nov 1, 2011
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