A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of
movable bridge in which a
span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck.
The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the
bascule and
swing-span bridges. Generally speaking, they cost less to build for longer moveable spans. The counterweights in a vertical lift are only required to be equal to the weight of the deck, whereas bascule bridge counterweights must weigh several times as much as the span being lifted. As a result, heavier materials can be used in the deck, and so this type of bridge is especially suited for heavy railroad use. The biggest disadvantage to the vertical-lift bridge (in comparison with many other designs) is the height restriction for vessels passing under it, due to the deck remaining suspended above the passageway.
Although most vertical-lift bridges use towers, each equipped with counterweights, some use
hydraulic jack
A jack is a mechanical lifting device used to apply great forces or lift heavy loads. A mechanical jack employs a screw thread for lifting heavy equipment. A hydraulic jack uses hydraulic power. The most common form is a car jack, floor jack o ...
s located below the deck. An example is the span bridge at St Paul Avenue in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...
(see also
table bridges). Another design used balance beams to lift the deck, with pivoting bascules located on the top of the lift towers.
[Troyano (2003), p.732] An example of this kind was built at
La Salle in Illinois, United States.
Examples
See
List of vertical-lift bridges.
Gallery of images
Image:Hefbrug over de Gouwe bij Alphen aan den Rijn.jpg, One of the vertical-lift bridges over the Gouwe River. It was built in 1930.
Image:Asb-bridge.jpg, ASB Bridge in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
.
Image:Arthur Kill Lift Bridge by Dave Frieder.jpg, The Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge has the longest lift span of any vertical-lift bridge in the world.
File:Hawthorne Bridge (Portland, Oregon) from southwest, 2012.jpg, The Hawthorne Bridge (in Portland, Oregon, U.S.), built in 1910, the oldest vertical-lift bridge in the United StatesClarence St. Bridge
The Clarence Street Bridge (also known as Bridge 21) is a vertical-lift bridge located in Port Colborne, Ontario. Built between 1927–1929 during 4th Welland Canal Construction, the bridge still serves today as a vital link connecting East and W ...
in Port Colborne
Port Colborne is a city in Ontario, Canada that is located on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The original settlement, known as Gravelly Bay, dates from 1832 and was renamed afte ...
, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
File:Ponto do Guaíba Aérea.jpg, Guaiba Bridge, which crosses Lake Guaíba, in Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...
, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
File:ErieCanalExchangeSt1.jpg, A lift bridge over the Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing ...
at Lockport...
File:ErieCanalExchangeStBr2.jpg, ...elevates at both ends...
File:ErieCanal.jpg, ...and nears its upward position. Pedestrians may cross when it is up using stairways.
File:2021 Nowa Sól bridge.jpg, Small lift bridge in Nowa Sól, Poland
File:Portage Lake Lift Bridge 2020-08-31.jpg, Portage Lake Lift Bridge linking Houghton, MIchigan
Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the U ...
to Hancock, Michigan
Hancock is a city in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census. The Weather Channel has consistently ra ...
File:VR Sr1 3015 Kuopio Drawbridge.jpg, An Sr1 locomotive pulling lumber across a drawbridge north of Kuopio railway station in Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
See also
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Moveable bridges
A moveable bridge, or movable bridge, is a bridge that moves to allow passage for boats or barges. In American English, the term is synonymous with , and the latter is the common term, but drawbridge can be limited to the narrower, historical d ...
for a list of other movable bridge types
*
Submersible bridge for a similar disappearing bridge
*
Table bridge for a vertical-lift bridge without visible lifting means
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{Bridge footer
Bridges by structural type
it:Ponte#Ponte sollevabile