Bridge piers support the bridge and can be made of concrete, stone, or metal. They can be submerged in water and allow for roads to be built underneath. The pier shape is determined by the specific application and other factors such as wind.
A bridge pier is a type of structure used to support a travel surface such as a road. The bridge itself connects two points and is supported by piers that extend into the underlying ground or water beneath the bridge. The pier design of the bridge is useful for some applications because it can be an extremely strong structure, can be built to be attractive enough, and will not obstruct water flow or tides if the bridge crosses water. Highway bridges can also use this design because roads can easily be built under bridges, as the supports don’t take up as much space as other support designs.
The bridge pier itself can vary in size and shape. This part of the bridge is essentially a load-bearing pier and can be in the shape of a beam, or it can have a wider shape, such as a V. Generally, modern piers are made of concrete, although some can be stone or even metal . A bridge pier designed to be submerged in water is likely to be made of concrete, as the metal can rust or otherwise corrode from constant exposure to moisture. Before the bridge pier can be installed in the water, the bottom of the river or stream must be dredged so that the soil can support the weight of the pier and the bridge surface.
Waterways aren’t the only places where a bridge dock is useful. In many cases, this design can be used when bridges are to be built over land; highway systems commonly use such designs, as overpasses can be raised over other roads, making use of available height where greater width is not available. Overpasses are very common in large cities, where roads can split in multiple directions at a crucial point. Bridge piers allow you to build these bridges and overpasses without eliminating the ability to build other roads underneath.
The bridge project engineer will need to determine which pier shape is most appropriate for the specific application. It is possible that the pier structure is constructed in such a way that it does not impede the proper water flow of a river, and in other cases it may be constructed to ensure proper loading of a roadway. Sometimes the design must vary as to what other forces will be acting on the bridge; high winds, for example, may require one pier design over another.
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