Image obtained from: STRUCTURE magazine | Great Bridges
At the end of the 18th century, the bridges were made of masonry or wood. The first cast iron bridge (the Iron Bridge, with a span of 30 meters) was built in England 230 years ago and still exists today.
In Mexico, bridges, as well as other infrastructure works, have been fundamental factors for both the economic and social development of the country, standing out even more in the last 50 years.
"In 1926 the State began the construction of highways in Mexico. The responsible Engineers created a first collection of standard projects to solve vehicular traffic problems on rivers and roads. That collection was used in almost all the bridges of old highways. For the 50 m and 100 m bridges, they were built on a steel base in continuous or articulated spans. However, it was soon observed that concrete was a much cheaper material than steel, because it was manufactured on site with local elements. The Secretary of Communications was a pioneer in Mexico in the installation of laboratories for quality control of construction materials and for the implementation of the corresponding standards. The development of this technology made it possible to obtain concrete with greater resistance and greater reliability." (1) Gobierno de México (2014) “The bridges of Mexico, 1985-2014”. Retrieved December 21, 2022, from: https://www.gob.mx/publicaciones/articulos/los-puentes-de-mexico-1985-2014?idiom=es .
This favored the construction of increasingly larger reinforced concrete bridges.
History of Bridges. (2)
We must know that for centuries bridges were basic and essential structures for civilizations. There is even a record that the bridges have existed for more than 4,000 years, with the foundations of engineering coming from the Roman and Greek cultures. But they were not as we know them today, since the first bridges were built with wood and stone. At present, given the requirements and dimensions of the works that are needed, the type of materials used for its construction has evolved as much as the technology itself put into practice.
Throughout the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages, a large number of these structures developed, which turned out to be very effective means of communication, boosting the economy of the empires of those times.
However, we can go further back in history, mentioning that the first bridges in history were made by nature; with the simple fact that there is a fallen log in a stream.
Image obtained from: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvaMLMcoBcLBIUUGOSfPSUnd1o0OIUg2fWWg&usqp=CAU
And if we go back to primitive times, we will find that the first bridges built by human beings were probably stretches of logs or arranged wooden planks; and finally, stones, using a simple support and a cross beam. A large part of these first bridges built could not support heavy weights or strong water currents, so all this led to the development and progressive evolution of the construction of better and better bridges.
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Let's take an example of one of the oldest bridges in the world: The oldest stone bridge in China, the Zhaozhou Bridge, built 595-605 AD during the Sui Dynasty. The important thing to mention about this bridge is that it is of historical importance, as it is the oldest segmental stone arch bridge in the world.
Zhaozhou Bridge in China.
Image obtained from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Zhaozhou_Bridge.jpg
It is important to mention a remarkable feat of Roman construction: the construction of bridges over rivers where there are no emerging rocks or islands. A case in point is the Sant'Angelo Bridge, built for Hadrian in AD 134 as an approach to his great circular mausoleum, now the Castel Sant'Angelo.
Image obtained from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/0_Tibre_-_Ponte_Sant%27Angelo_-_Rome_%281%29.JPG
Building these bridges is possible because of Roman perfection with cement and concrete, and because of his invention of the cofferdam.
On the other hand, the greatest contribution that is attributed to the Middle Ages in the history of bridges is the attractive idea of houses with bridges in them. This development has two practical origins. In walled cities, where accommodation was strictly limited, any firm foundation for a building is valuable; And with water wheels now a common source of power, a bridge with a mill on it serves two useful purposes.
Image obtained from: https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0c/86/50/53/weinstadel.jpg
(1) Gobierno de México (2014) “The bridges of Mexico, 1985-2014”. Retrieved December 21, 2022, from: https://www.gob.mx/publicaciones/articulos/los-puentes-de-mexico-1985-2014?idiom=es
(2) Information of "History of Bridge" was obtained from: Historia de los puentes - Arkiplus
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