The project-the longest total suspension bridge in the world-would span the Starits of Mackinac where winds exceed eighty miles an hour and ice windrows reach a height of forty feet. It would connect two largely rural communities with a combined population of less than four thousand and would require the largest bond issue ever proposed for the construction of a bridge. Little wonder that some Wall Street investors labeled the proposition as ludicrous. Nonetheless, the Mackinac Bridge became a reality.

From a low road bridge crossing the Fosse Way near Trewsbury Mead to the towering Queen Elizabeth Bridge linking Kent to Essex, the River Thames is crossed by over 200 bridges, some simple wooden or stonework structures, others magnificent architectural constructions. Stretching across the southern counties of England, starting as a trickle in a Gloucestershire meadow to the vast expanse of tidal water leading into the North Sea, the course of the River Thames defined local kingdoms, tribal lands and later the counties situated to the north and south of the river. Throughout this time, although London Bridge was the first permanent structure to traverse the river in London, other bridges crossed the Thames further upstream, first simple structures erected for moving livestock and carts from one field to another, where the waterway dividing farmland and pasture was too wide or too strong to cross by fording, then new building techniques made it possible for carpenters and stonemasons to construct permanent structures to link communities, hamlets, villages and towns. Of the 200 bridges many have fascinating stories to tell, of their construction and historical events which surround them, from prehistory and Roman times up to the twenty-first century. In this book author David C. Ramzan explores the economic and social history of these Thames bridges, some unassuming, but no less important, while others are unique in design and construction.

This book introduces 53 bridges that the author designed during his period teaching at Dalian University of Technology (1984-2014). The bridges have unique features; some bridges are the first of their kind in China, while the others are the biggest in size. For example, Jinma Bridge is the longest single concrete, single-plane, cable-stayed bridge in the world and Xinghai Bridge is the first double-deck, steel truss suspension bridge being constructed in the Sea of China. Innovation and reasonable structure designs must meet the requirements of applicability, economy, safety, artistic appearance and endurance. Innovation and rational stress are the main concern when considering bridge functionality. Only innovation can make new bridges surpass previously designed bridges. Only rational stress can save materials and reach the requirements of economy, safety and endurance. Teachers, students and engineers engaged in bridge engineering will be inspired from the designing concepts and methods within this book. The author compiles thirty years of work and dedication in the field and shares his discoveries with the readers who are interested in bridge design and functionality.

It is widely acknowledged that there is an increasing problem in maintenance of the American civil infrastructure. Highways, bridges, sewers, railroads, harbours, and public buildings built in the 1950s and 1960s are wearing out, while inflation-adjusted federal spending on infrastructure has fallen. The current situation, with respect to highway bridge maintenance, is in fact so severe that many states cannot afford to attend in need of replacement, so they are focusing only on the most severe cases. Recently, rapid assessment, repair, and replacement of damaged highway bridge after extreme events have been given close attention to by government agencies, engineering and construction communities, and the general public. This book presents the complicated undertaking of highway bridge replacement in an easy-to-read format.

The covered bridge has long been a symbol of Indiana's past, evoking feelings of romance and nostalgia. These feats of engineering span the rivers and streams that crisscross the county. Jeremy Boshears' photographs capture the beauty of the bridges dotting the riverbanks of Monroe County. With 121 color photographs, The Covered Bridges of Monroe County will appeal to everyone who treasures these iconic structures.

Fully updated coverage of the entire bridge engineering process Revised to reflect the latest codes, standards, and technical advances, this practical reference covers every aspect of highway bridge engineering and management. Bridge Engineering: Design, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance of Modern Highway Bridges, Fourth Edition, features the latest analysis, design, and construction methods as well as up-to-date information on materials and components. Cutting-edge maintenance and repair techniques are explained in complete detail. Real-world case studies and detailed photos and illustrations are provided throughout. Coverage includes: * Highway bridge structures * Project inception and funding * Design standards * Bridge inspection and site survey * Physical testing * As-built plans and other record data * Superstructure and deck types * Wearing surface types * Deck joint types * Design loads and methods * Internal forces and load distribution * Concrete deck slabs * Composite steel members * Plate girders and continuous beams * Protecting steel superstructures * Load rating * Prestressed concrete * Substructure design * Abutments and piers * Bearings * Managing the design process * Contract documents * Bridge management systems

On the morning of May 9, 1980, during sudden violent weather, a 600-foot freighter struck a support pier of the fifteen-mile Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The main span splintered and collapsed 150 feet into Tampa Bay. Seven cars and a Greyhound bus fell over the broken edge and into the churning water below. Thirty-five people died. Skyway tells the entire story of this horrific event. Through personal interviews and extensive research, Bill DeYoung pieces together the harrowing moments of the collision, including the first-person accounts of witnesses and survivors. The result is a gripping retelling of the worst ship-bridge collision in U.S. history.

As an in-depth guide to understanding wind effects on cable-supported bridges, this book uses analytical, numerical and experimental methods to give readers a fundamental and practical understanding of the subject matter. It is structured to systemically move from introductory areas through to advanced topics currently being developed from research work. The author concludes with the application of the theory covered to real-world examples, enabling readers to apply their knowledge. The author provides background material, covering areas such as wind climate, cable-supported bridges, wind-induced damage, and the history of bridge wind engineering. Wind characteristics in atmospheric boundary layer, mean wind load and aerostatic instability, wind-induced vibration and aerodynamic instability, and wind tunnel testing are then described as the fundamentals of the subject. State-of-the-art contributions include rain-wind-induced cable vibration, wind-vehicle-bridge interaction, wind-induced vibration control, wind and structural health monitoring, fatigue analysis, reliability analysis, typhoon wind simulation, non-stationary and nonlinear buffeting response. Lastly, the theory is applied to the actual long-span cable-supported bridges. * Structured in an easy-to-follow way, covering the topic from the fundamentals right through to the state-of-the-art * Describes advanced topics such as wind and structural health monitoring and non-stationary and nonlinear buffeting response * Gives a comprehensive description of various methods including CFD simulations of bridge and vehicle loading * Uses two projects with which the author has worked extensively, Stonecutters cable-stayed bridge and Tsing Ma suspension bridge, as worked examples, giving readers a practical understanding

The Federal Highway Administration 100-Year Coating Study was initiated in August 2009 to identify coating systems that can provide 100 years of virtually maintenance-free service life at comparable costs to the existing coating systems, even in adverse environments. This book focuses on the study and discusses the performance evaluation of one-coat systems for new steel bridges.

As known, each bridge presents a unique set of design, construction, and maintenance challenges. The designer must determine the appropriate methods and level of refinement necessary to design and analyze each bridge on a case-by-case basis. The Innovative Bridge Design Handbook: Construction, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance encompasses the state of the art in bridge design, construction, maintenance, and safety assessment. Written by an international group of experts, this book provides innovative design approaches used in various parts of the world and explores concepts in design, construction, and maintenance that will reduce project costs and increase structural safety and durability. Furthermore, research and innovative solutions are described throughout chapters. The Innovative Bridge Design Handbook: Construction, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance brings together the specific knowledge of a bevy of experts and academics in bridge engineering in the areas of design, assessment, research, and construction. The handbook begins with an analysis of the history and development of bridge aesthetics and design; various types of loads including seismic and wind loads are then described, together with fatigue and fracture. Bridge design based on material such as reinforced concrete, prestressed reinforced concrete, steel and composite, timber, masonry bridges is analyzed and detailed according to international codes and standards. Then bridge design based on geometry, such as arch bridges, girders, cable stayed and suspension bridges, is illustrated. This is followed by a discussion of a number of special topics, including integral, movable, highway and railway bridges, together with seismic component devices, cables, orthotropic decks, foundations, and case studies. Finally, bridge construction equipment, bridge assessment retrofit and management, bridge monitoring, fiber-reinforced polymers to reinforce bridges, bridge collapse issues are covered.

Due to significant economic growth in the last few decades, increasing traffic loads impose tremendous demand on bridge structures. This, coupled with ongoing deterioration of bridges, introduces a unique challenge to bridge engineers in maintaining service of these infrastructure assets without disruption to vital economic and social activities. This requires innovative solutions and optimized methodologies to achieve safe and efficient operation of bridge structures.

Bridge engineering practitioners, researchers, owners, and contractors from all over the world presented on modern techniques in design, inspection, monitoring and rehabilitation of bridge structures, at the Sixth New York City Bridge Conference held New York City on July 25-26, 2011. This book contains a select number of papers presented at the conference. This group of papers provides a state-of-the-art in bridge engineering and is of interest to any reader in the field.

This proceeding contains a selected number of papers presented at the 2nd New York Bridge Conference that should be valuable to every reader and worker in the field of applied bridge engineering. Topics covered include: cable-supported bridges; and bridge analysis, design and retrofit.

Petroski reveals the science and engineering--not to mention the politics, egotism, and sheer magic--behind America's great bridges, particularly those constructed during the great bridge-building era starting in the 1870s and continuing through the 1930s. It is the story of the men and women who built the St. Louis, the George Washington, and the Golden Gate bridges, drawing not only on their mastery of numbers but on their gifts for persuasion and self-promotion. It is an account of triumphs and ignominious disasters (including the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which literally twisted itself apart in a high wind). And throughout this grandly engaging book, Petroski lets us see how bridges became the "symbols and souls" of our civilization, as well as testaments to their builders' vision, ingenuity, and perseverance.



"Seamlessly linked...With astonishing scope and generosity of view, Mr. Petroski places the tradition of American bridge-building in perspective."--New York Times Book Review