Bridges: Their Engineering and Planning

This book offers an accessible and illustrated introduction into the forces that bridges must resist in order to exist in today’s environment. The book discusses how engineers protect bridges from their greatest threats such as earthquakes, floods, and other hazards that can cause catastrophic damage. The bridge engineer must decide what type of bridge will be the best solution for the site. The book is divided into four parts. Part I: Deciding about Bridges contains two chapters with the titles: Crossing the Bridge before We Get There; and Counting Our Bridges. Part II: Bridge Engineering includes four chapters with the titles: Understanding Stresses and Strains; Bridge Types and Sites; Making Strong Bridges: Dealing with Uncertainty; and Resisting Extreme Events. Part III: Bridge Planning has four chapters with the titles: Is It Worth It? Costs, Benefits, and Tough Decisions; Traffic across the Bridge; The Bridge in the Environment; and Delivering the Bridge. Part IV: Conclusion includes one chapter with the title: A Bridge Spanning a Millennium.