Bridge Lineup

Different bridge types route forces in fundamentally different ways. A beam bridge is a flat deck on supports — compression on top, tension on the bottom, limited to short spans. An arch bridge transfers weight outward along its curve through pure compression.

A suspension bridge hangs its deck from cables in tension connected to towers in compression, enabling enormous spans like the Golden Gate's 1,280 meters. Cable-stayed bridges run cables straight from the towers to the deck, forming stiff triangles — a layout that is quicker to build for medium spans.

Each design answers one question differently: how do you hold weight over empty space?