Lift bridges are designed to raise part of the span of a bridge to allow boats to pass underneath. They are popular due to their advantages. Bascule bridges are installed to save costs but may require a lift to allow traffic to pass. Lift bridges use a hoist and counterweights to lift the span and have towers to house the mechanism. Traffic lights control passage and access to the span is restricted during lifting. Some lift bridges have walkways for pedestrians.
A lift is a bridge designed to allow boats to pass under the bridge by raising part of the span of the bridge above the level of the rest of the bridge. Lifts are simply a version of the mobile bridge, but they have a number of advantages that make them popular in some regions of the world. Various examples of lift bridges can be found around the world, providing passage for cars, people, boats and various vessels of all shapes and sizes.
Bascule bridges are installed when engineers want to build a low bridge, to save costs, but also to allow traffic to pass on the waterway under the bridge. Low bridges are much less expensive to build, require less engineering, and are quicker to build. These are all attractive benefits for bridge builders that make low bridges very common choices when a waterway is being bridged, but when a bridge is low, traffic may not be able to pass underneath, necessitating a solution that allows part of the bridge to move to allow traffic to pass.
With a lift, a section of the span is designed to lift vertically. The lift comprises a hoist which moves the span section, usually with the use of counterweights which descend, pulling the span upwards, holding the span in place until needed again, when the weight of the span is allowed pull it back into place to complete the bridge. Lift bridges commonly have a pair of towers which house the mechanism to raise the bridge and lock the span in place.
Like other drawbridges, a lift bridge uses a system of traffic lights to control passage across the bridge and to warn people when the span will be moved. Access to the span is restricted when it is about to be lifted, ensuring that people are not driving or standing on the span, which could be dangerous while it is in motion. The drawbridge will be temporarily closed to traffic during the lifting of the segment, only to be reopened once the span is restored.
Some lift bridges use a system of stairs and walkways to allow pedestrians to cross the bridge while the span is high. This system can also be used to isolate pedestrians from traffic while the bridge is in use, providing them with a safe area to walk.
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