The World’s 18 Strangest Bridges: Gallery

• bridges
• architecture
• engineering
• transportation

Background: UK-based design firm Heatherwick Studio created this 39-foot timber and steel bridge in 2004 to act as a walkway over a small section of London’s Grand Union Canal.

Why It’s Innovative: A hydraulic system built into the bridge’s handrail allows it to retract and curl into an octagon. The retractable design allows for boats to cruise through the canal unobstructed, and the bridge rolls up every Friday at noon.

Donald MacDonald, an architect with more than 40 years of experience who has worked on over a dozen bridges, tells PM that, “this bridge represents an experimental gesture, and it’s really complicated for what it does."





Background: Habib J. Dagher and colleagues from the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composite Center completed this small road bridge in November 2008.

Why It’s Innovative: While at first glance this bridge appears to have a straightforward design, the Neal Bridge is unique because it is supported by a series of 23 arches made from fiber-reinforced plastics that are filled with concrete. “There’s been really no new bridge material since high-strength steel and high-strength concrete came in, which was 40 or 50 years ago," MacDonald says. And though the price of composite materials is high, proponents argue that there are significant savings on shipping, construction and long-term maintenance that offset the initial investment.

The World’s 18 Strangest Bridges
1. Rolling Bridge and 2. Neal Bridge	3. Henderson Waves and 4. Sundial Bridge	5. Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge and 6. Modern Bamboo Bridge	7. Millau Viaduct and 8. Pont Gustave-Flaubert	9. Langkawi Sky Bridge and 10. Hangzhou Bay Bridge
11. Da Vinci Bridge and 12. Pythonbrug	13. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge and 14. Oresund Bridge	15. Puente de la Mujer and 16. Slauerhoffbrug	17. Evergreen Point Floating Bridge and 18. Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge

Comment Title
Your Name
Email Address
Website	make public
Comment
Please enter the characters shown below:
	Make sure your comment is relevant to the topic discussed. Comments not relevant to the topic will be deleted. Neither you nor Popular Mechanics has the ability to make your e-mail address public. However, we ask that you submit your e-mail address to us just in case we need to contact you. Thank you for your understanding--The Editors.