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 Submerging | |
| Ancestor | Plate girder bridge, |
|---|---|
| Related | Lift bridge,bascule bridge,table bridge |
| Descendant | None |
| Carries | Automobile, pedestrians |
| Span range | Short |
| Material | Steel |
| Movable | Yes |
| Design effort | Medium |
| Falsework required | No |
Asubmersible bridge is a type ofmovable bridge that lowers the bridge deck below the water level to permit waterborne traffic to use the waterway. This differs from alift bridge ortable bridge, which operate by raising the roadway. Two submersible bridges exist across theCorinth Canal inGreece, one at each end, inIsthmia andCorinth.[1] They lower the centre span to 8 metres below water level when they give way to vessels crossing the channel.
The submersible bridge's primary advantage over the similar lift bridge is that there is no structure above the shipping channel and thus no height limitation on ship traffic. This is particularly important for sailing vessels. Additionally, the lack of an above-deck structure is considered aesthetically pleasing, a similarity shared with the Chicago-stylebascule bridge and thetable bridge. However, the presence of the submerged bridge structure limits thedraft of vessels in the waterway.
The termsubmersible bridge is also sometimes applied to a non-movable bridge that is designed to withstand submersion and high currents when the water level rises. Such a bridge is more properly called alow water bridge.
Media related toSubmerging bridges at Wikimedia Commons
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