Folding bridge

Folding bridge

Hörnbrücke in Kiel
Ancestor	Plate girder bridge
Related	Lift bridge, submersible bridge, retractable bridge
Descendant	None
Carries	Automobiles, pedestrians
Span range	Short
Material	Steel
Movable	Yes
Design effort	High
Falsework required	No

A folding bridge is a type of moveable bridge engineered to fold. This allows ship traffic to pass through the waterway that the bridge spans. ^[1]

An example of a folding bridge is the Hörnbrücke (Hörn Bridge) in the city of Kiel in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. When the bridge is down it spans 25.5 metres (84 ft) across the Kiel Fjord, known as the Hörn. The three-segment bascule bridge folds up into the shape of the capital letter N to allow for ship and boat traffic. ^[2]

Two of the first folding bridges were built in Chicago by Shailer & Schniglau out of steel. The first stood between 1891 and 1899 at the Weed Street. ^[3] The second was built in 1893 but was demolished 10 years later due to it being repeatedly out of service and two boat collisions in 1900. ^[4] It had a 89-foot span and a width of 35 feet. ^[5]

The movement of a folding bridge

Folding Bridge at Weed Street, Chicago (1891)

See also

• Bascule bridge
• Double-beam drawbridge
• Drawbridge
• Moveable bridges for a list of other moveable bridge types

References

1. McMahon, Mary (January 10, 2024). "What is a Folding Bridge?". All the Science. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
2. "Hörnbrücke – Kiel, Germany - Atlas Obscura". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
3. "North Branch Bridges". chicagology.com. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
4. canalman (2017-11-17). "Canal Street Bridge over the South Branch of the Chicago River". raddoc1947. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
5. "Canal Street Bridge - HistoricBridges.org". historicbridges.org. Retrieved 2025-08-21.