Retractable bridge

Last updated
Retractable bridge
Uppsala Ultunabron02 2005-06-16.jpg
Vindbron (Ultunabron) in Uppsala (retracted)
Ancestor Plate girder bridge
Related Lift bridge, submersible bridge, folding bridge
DescendantNone
CarriesAutomobile, pedestrians
Span rangeShort
MaterialSteel
MovableYes
Design effortMedium
Falsework requiredNo

A retractable bridge is a type of moveable bridge in which the deck can be rolled or slid backwards to open a gap while traffic crosses, usually a ship on a waterway. This type is sometimes referred to as a thrust bridge.

Contents

The bridge is retracted to the right Uppsala Ultunabron01 2005-06-16.jpg
The bridge is retracted to the right
Borden Avenue Bridge, Long Island City Borden Avenue Bridge over Dutch Kills slide tracks jeh.jpg
Borden Avenue Bridge, Long Island City

Retractable bridges date back to medieval times. Due to the large dedicated area required for this type of bridge, this design is not common. A retractable design may be considered when the maximum horizontal clearance is required (for example, over a canal).

Two remaining examples exist in New York City: the Carroll Street Bridge (built 1889) in Brooklyn, and the Borden Avenue Bridge in Queens. A recent example can be found at Queen Alexandra Dock in Cardiff, Wales, where the bridge is jacked upwards before being rolled on wheels. Helix Bridge at Paddington Basin in London is a more unusual example of the type, consisting of a glass shell supported in a helical steel frame, which rotates as it retracts. [1] The Summer Street Bridge over Fort Point Channel in Boston is a variant type called a retractile bridge. This bridge is oriented northwest–southeast, with the northwest-bound lanes of traffic retracting diagonally to the north, and the southeast-bound lanes retracting diagonally to the west.

Some retractable bridges are also floating bridges, such as the Hood Canal Bridge. Two other floating bridges in Washington state used to have retractable spans but were replaced with new floating bridges without retractable spans: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (replaced in 2016) and Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (replaced after it accidentally sank in 1990). This design is popular in Guyana, which has the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the Berbice Bridge.

Historical examples of designs for retractable bridges include those by Leonardo da Vinci [2] and Agostino Ramelli. [3]

In the Netherlands, especially in the province of North Holland, a vlotbrug is a design of retractable bridge across a canal in which the roadway floats and can be retracted under fixed structures on the canal banks.

See also

Animation of operation MovableBridge thrust.gif
Animation of operation

Related Research Articles

Cable-stayed bridge Type of bridge with cables directly from towers

A cable-stayed bridge has one or more towers, from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern or a series of parallel lines. This is in contrast to the modern suspension bridge, where the cables supporting the deck are suspended vertically from the main cable, anchored at both ends of the bridge and running between the towers. The cable-stayed bridge is optimal for spans longer than cantilever bridges and shorter than suspension bridges. This is the range within which cantilever bridges would rapidly grow heavier, and suspension bridge cabling would be more costly.

Swing bridge Bridge which pivots around the mid-point

A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right. Small swing bridges as found over canals may be pivoted only at one end, opening as would a gate, but require substantial underground structure to support the pivot.

Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge Floating bridge carrying a freeway in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge is a floating bridge in the Seattle metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Washington. It is one of the Interstate 90 floating bridges that carries the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 across Lake Washington from Seattle to Mercer Island. Westbound traffic is carried by the adjacent Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge.

Truss bridge Bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss

A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. The basic types of truss bridges shown in this article have simple designs which could be easily analyzed by 19th and early 20th-century engineers. A truss bridge is economical to construct because it uses materials efficiently.

Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge Floating bridge carrying a freeway in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

The Third Lake Washington Bridge, officially the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge, is a floating bridge in the Seattle metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Washington. It is one of the Interstate 90 floating bridges, carrying the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 across Lake Washington between Mercer Island and Seattle. The floating bridge is the fifth-longest of its kind in the world, at 5,811 feet.

Vertical-lift bridge Movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck

A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck.

Reversible lane Lane in which traffic may travel in either direction

A reversible lane is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and lighted street signs notify drivers which lanes are open or closed to driving or turning.

Moveable bridge

A moveable bridge, or movable bridge, is a bridge that moves to allow passage for boats or barges. In American English, the term is synonymous with drawbridge, and the latter is the common term, but drawbridge can be limited to the narrower, historical definition used in some other forms of English, in which drawbridge refers to only a specific type of moveable bridge often found in castles.

Admiral Clarey Bridge Bridge connecting Ford Island to Oʻahu within Pearl Harbor

Admiral Clarey Bridge, also known as the Ford Island Bridge, is a pontoon bridge, commonly called a floating concrete drawbridge, providing access to Ford Island, a United States Navy installation situated in the middle of Pearl Harbor. The bridge provides access to Ford Island's historic sites to the public via tour bus and provides access to O'ahu for US military families housed on the island. Before the completion of the bridge, the island's residents were required to use ferry boats operated by Naval personnel that operated on an hourly basis. The bridge is one of only a few floating bridges and its floating moveable span is the largest worldwide. Its namesake, Admiral Bernard A. Clarey, was one of the Navy's most decorated officers.

Keadby Small village in North Lincolnshire, England

Keadby is a small village in North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated just off the A18, west of Scunthorpe, and on the west bank of the River Trent. Keadby is in the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. The appropriate civil parish is called Keadby with Althorpe with a population at the 2011 census of 1,930.

The Rolling Bridge Curling moveable bridge in London

The Rolling Bridge is a type of curling moveable bridge completed in 2004 as part of the Grand Union Canal office and retail development project at Paddington Basin, London.

Mabey Logistic Support Bridge

The Mabey Logistic Support Bridge is a portable pre-fabricated truss bridge, designed for use by military engineering units to upgrade routes for heavier traffic, replace civilian bridges damaged by enemy action or floods etc., replace assault and general support bridges and to provide a long span floating bridge capability. The bridge is a variant of the Mabey Compact 200 bridge, with alterations made to suit the military user as well as a ramp system to provide ground clearance to civilian and military vehicles.

Sadliers Crossing Railway Bridge

Sadliers Crossing Railway Bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge at over Bremer River between Tallon Street, Sadliers Crossing and Dixon Street, Wulkuraka, Queensland, Australia on the Main Line (this section is now the Ipswich and Rosewood railway line. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 13 November 2008.

Eighth Street Bridge (Passaic River)

Eighth Street Bridge is a road bridge over the Passaic River in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Opened in 1915 as a bascule bridge, the bridge was fixed in place in 1977.

Vlotbrug

Vlotbrug translates from Dutch into English as "float bridge". In its broadest sense, it includes pontoon bridges. In a narrower sense, it includes floating swing bridges which pivot either centrally or from one or both banks of a body of water to allow vessels to pass through.

Borden Avenue Bridge Bridge in Queens, New York

The Borden Avenue Bridge is a retractable bridge in New York City, in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. It carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic across Dutch Kills, a tidal waterway that is a tributary of Newtown Creek. The main span is 84 feet long, and it retracts by sliding on rails. It was last retracted to allow marine traffic to pass in 2005. It was designed by Edward Abraham Byrne and opened on March 25, 1908.

Carroll Street Bridge Bridge in Brooklyn, New York

The Carroll Street Bridge is a retractable bridge in New York City, crossing the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. It carries a single wooden-decked lane for one-way eastbound vehicular traffic and two walkways. Completed in 1889, it is operated by the New York City Department of Transportation, with an average of about one thousand crossings each weekday. It is the oldest of the four remaining retractable bridges in the United States and is an official city landmark.

A retractile drawbridge is a rare type of moveable bridge in which the span is pulled away diagonally on rails. It is a variant of the retractable bridge. Only four examples are known to exist in the United States. It is believed to have been invented by T. Willis Pratt in the 1860s.

References

  1. "Helix Bridge (City of Westminster, 2004)". Structurae. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  2. "Leonardo and the Engineers of the Renaissance". brunelleschi.imss.fi.it. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  3. "Image of retractable bridge for crossing a moat, 1588. by Science & Society Picture Library". www.scienceandsociety.co.uk. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.