Bridges (Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks)

Bridgesaresuchubiquitousfeaturesofthebuiltenvironmentthatwecrossmostofthembarelyacknowledgingtheirpresence.Certainbridges,however,commandattention:fortheirutilityfacilitatingtravelfromheretothere;fortheirsize,setting,beauty,orhistoricalassociations.Ordinaryorspellbinding,everybridgeisaresponsetoaproblemthespanningofariverorotherobstacle,solvedmoreorlesselegantly.ThisvisualsourcebooksurveysAmericanbridgesfromcoasttocoastintermsoffourfundamentalstructuraltypes(beam,arch,truss,andsuspension)andthespecialcategoryofmovablebridges(swing,lift,andbascule)showinghowsimilarstructuralideashavebeenaddressedbydifferentdesigners,refinedovertime,andrenderedinvariousbuildingmaterials.Aspecialfeatureis"ACallforPreservation"oftheAmericanbridgeengineeringheritagebyEricDeLony,formerlychiefoftheHistoricAmericanEngineeringRecord,NationalParkService.