Great Britain: King's College Bridge in Cambridge

Cambridgeshire County is about 60 miles north of London. It includes Cambridge University with the River Cam running through it. There are many interesting bridges crossing the Cam, but unfortunately I only photographed a few of them. I couldn't find a convenient footpath along the river, which l typically use for looking at bridges. Apparently most people find it more convenient to stand on the back of a small boat (a punt) and push with a long pole while viewing the Cam.

King's College, Queen's College, and several other Colleges at Cambridge have pedestrian bridges named after them that cross the Cam. The first King's College Bridge was built on this site in the 15th century and the current bridge was designed by William Wilkins in 1818. It's a single span, filled spandrel stone arch with a solid parapet and paving stones for a deck. You can see under the arch (in the distance) the 1639 Clare College Bridge with its three spans.

A text I use for UK bridges, The National Trust Book of Bridges refers to the bridge's style as Classical. This usually means the design has shapes reminiscent of those used by the ancient Greeks or Romans. Maybe the use of the arch was picked up from the Romans after the Middle Ages. Or perhaps the author is referring to a style that was less ornate and more functional?

Great Britain: King's College Bridge in Cambridge by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Peru's Bridges: Culvert, Tunnel, or Bridge?

A low-resolution photo taken while leaving Arequipa. But what are we looking at?

We've often discussed whether it's cheaper to build a long trestle structure or a long embankment. Its amazing that an embankment with such steep sides (as shown in the photo) can support a roadway.

I was looking at the book Bridges, Canals, & Tunnels. They showed a 450 ft long timber trestle railroad bridge near Promontory Point, Utah.  It was so flimsy that they covered it with earth after it was built. However, I don't think this embankment has a timber structure underneath.

So is this structure a culvert, a tunnel, or a bridge? I would argue that it is a single span, filled spandrel arch bridge built to allow a grade separation between two highways.

Peru's Bridges: Culvert, Tunnel, or Bridge? by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Seine River Bridges: Pont d'Austerlitz

Pont d'Austerlitz is a five span masonry arch bridge over the River Seine in Paris. It replaced an older bridge that was built in 1805.  The new bridge has five 32 m (105 ft) spans and was 18 m (60 ft) wide, but it was widened in 1884 to 31 m (102 ft). I wonder if the ornamentation on the spandrel walls above the piers was removed from the original bridge and put on the new bridge and on the widening?

Austerlitz is where Napoleon won one of his biggest battles in 1805, the year the original bridge was built.  The ornamentation is of a lion holding up a shield, an image of war.

Seine River Bridges: Pont d'Austerlitz by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.