A floating bridge uses barges or pontoons to create a temporary or permanent span across a body of water, ideal for military operations or when other bridge designs are not feasible. It can be dismantled and transported, and can be stabilized in choppy waters or retracted during storms.
Also known as a bateau bridge or pontoon bridge, a floating bridge is a type of bridge design that uses barges or pontoons to create a span across a body of water. In many cases, a floating bridge is built for temporary use and can be disassembled and transported for reassembly to a different location, making the design ideal for use by military operations. The floating bridge design can also be used to create more permanent solutions when it is not considered feasible to invest the time and money needed to build other types of bridges.
The main function of a floating bridge is to create a means of crossing a waterway without investing much time. A series of pontoons or barges are connected so individuals and equipment can pass over the expanse with relative ease, then dismantle the bridge to prevent others from using the device. Used since antiquity, this type of temporary bridge has been used by armies as a means of crossing rivers. The armies then destroyed or dismantled the bridge so that others could not follow and attack from the rear.
While the floating bridge has often been employed as a short-term strategy for crossing waterways, it can also be used as a permanent solution. Typically, the use of this particular bridge design is feasible when the cost or difficulty of sinking supports, erecting piers, or constructing a suspension system to support other bridge designs cannot be justified. Since a floating bridge can be made in sections, it is also possible to structure the design so that one or more partitions of the bridge can be moved to the side, allowing boats or ships to pass through if the need arises.
While a basic floating bridge works best on calm water, technology is available that helps stabilize sections of the bridge should the water become choppy, such as during some sort of storm. Other times, the design allows the bridge to be retracted in inclement weather, a measure that can sometimes mean fewer repairs after the storm. This aspect may be especially important for a small community that may rely on the floating bridge as a direct link to a community across a river and want to avoid a long term loss of that easy access to a damaged bridge.
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