A retractable bridge is a type of moveable bridge in which the deck can be rolled or slid backwards to open a gap while traffic crosses, usually a ship on a waterway. This type is sometimes referred to as a thrust bridge.
The bridge is retracted to the right.Borden Avenue Bridge, Long Island City
Retractable bridges date back to medieval times. Due to the large dedicated area required for this type of bridge, this design is not common. A retractable design may be considered when the maximum horizontal clearance is required (for example, over a canal).
Two remaining examples exist in New York City: the Carroll Street Bridge (built 1889) in Brooklyn, and the Borden Avenue Bridge in Queens. A recent example can be found at Queen Alexandra Dock in Cardiff, Wales, where the bridge is jacked upwards before being rolled on wheels. Helix Bridge at Paddington Basin in London is a more unusual example of the type, consisting of a glass shell supported in a helical steel frame, which rotates as it retracts.[1] The Summer Street Bridge over Fort Point Channel in Boston is a variant type called a retractile bridge. This bridge is oriented northwest–southeast, with the northwest-bound lanes of traffic retracting diagonally to the north, and the southeast-bound lanes retracting diagonally to the west.
Some retractable bridges are also floating bridges, such as the Hood Canal Bridge. Two other floating bridges in Washington state used to have retractable spans but were replaced with new floating bridges without retractable spans: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (replaced in 2016) and Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (replaced after it accidentally sank in 1990). This design is popular in Guyana, which has the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the Berbice Bridge.
Historical examples of designs for retractable bridges include those by Leonardo da Vinci[2] and Agostino Ramelli.[3]
In the Netherlands, especially in the province of North Holland, a vlotbrug is a design of retractable bridge across a canal in which the roadway floats and can be retracted under fixed structures on the canal banks.
A retractablebridge is a type of moveable bridge in which the deck can be rolled or slid backwards to open a gap while traffic crosses, usually a ship...
The Carroll Street Bridge is a retractablebridge in New York City, crossing the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. It carries a single wooden-decked lane for...
A Guthrie rolling bridge was a kind of retractablebridge, an 18th-century version of the drawbridge. It was commonly installed as the access across the...
Hood Canal Bridge Hood Canal Bridge The Hood Canal Bridge (officially William A. Bugge Bridge) is a floating bridge in the northwest United States, located...
with relaxing colours. Some bridges have advertisements on interior or exterior walls. The floors of retractablebridges are generally uneven, creating...
The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a 6,074-foot (1,851 m) long floating toll bridge. It was commissioned on 2 July 1978. The bridge crosses the Demerara River...
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The Brooklyn Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, George Washington Bridge, and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge were the world's longest suspension bridges when opened...
translates from Dutch into English as "raft bridge". It is a special kind of floating Retractablebridges at the Great North Holland Canal which pivot...
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The Borden Avenue Bridge is a retractablebridge in New York City, in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. It carries vehicular and pedestrian...
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was originally built as a retractablebridge in 1858, replaced by a rotating one in 1896. The existing, originally wooden bridge was built in 1962 and was...
of the Elizabeth River; an enclosed, elevated passenger gangway; a retractablebridge leading into a 16-slip marina; a terrazzo floor tile in the entrance;...
Rolling bridge may be applied to several distinct types of movable bridge: Guthrie rolling bridge, a type of retractablebridge, also known as a thrust...
Bridge 549th Engineer Light Ponton Company Vlotbrug, a design of retractable pontoon bridge specific to the Netherlands Beck, Alfred M., et al., The Corps...
curved track that passes between two retaining walls and crosses a retractablebridge across the ditch. The inscription "Thurmfort Gorazda" is still visible...
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