Wanted: Europe\'s Earliest Segmental Arch Bridge

[Eleatic Guest]

What is the earliest medieval segmental arch bridge? The Ponte Vecchio in Florence (1335), as it is conventionally assumed, or the Pont St Benezet in Avignon (around 1180)?

Obviously, the arches of the Avignon bridge are more shallow than a text book semi-circle arch, but are they shallow enough to be classified as segmental arches? In case of the Florentine bridge, the main arch is 30m and the rise-to-span ratio is 1 to 5. And the Pont St Benezet?



[size=75:1b9nbx1l]When the thread goes well, I am going to open up one on Roman bridges. [/size]

[Praefectusclassis]

The bridge at Maastricht seems to be a little older. It was built between 1280 and 1298.

[Eleatic Guest]

Not sure. Looks still like a bridge with semi-circle arches to me. A segmental arch bridge is one with a flat, shallow arch where the main thrust is lateral.

[Niedel]

So I guess the "Steinerne Brücke" in Regensburg wouldn't apply, either, since it's older, but seems to have semi-circle arches. It is from the Mid 1100s and pretty spectacular, though:
[url:kswlpmg0]http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinerne_Br%C3%BCcke[/url]

[Eleatic Guest]

So I guess the "Steinerne Brücke" in Regensburg wouldn't apply, either, since it's older, but seems to have semi-circle arches.

Interesting! It seems to belong to an intermediary, evolutionary type: Most of its arches are semi-circles, but some already show a touch of segmental character:

Pic above: segmental-like

Pic below: half-circle arch


More pics at:

http://www.erik.org/photogallery/Regensburg.htm

[Eleatic Guest]

This is AFAIK the oldest wooden segmental arch bridge of the world. A true milestine in the history of architecture. I would die (well, almost :wink: ) for a better pic of this model from the local museum. Does anybody have one?

The Trajan Bridge at the Iron Gate, 20 pillars, over 1000m length, built during the initial stages of the first Dacian War by the Greek engineer Apollodorus of Damascus:

[Robert Vermaat]

This is AFAIK the oldest wooden segmental arch bridge of the world. A true milestine in the history of architecture.

What's that?!? hock: KING KONG is in the picture!!

[Praefectusclassis]

IIRC the Heidelberg museum has a big model of a bridge. Don't remember if it's that one though.

[Eleatic Guest]

IIRC the Heidelberg museum has a big model of a bridge. Don't remember if it's that one though.

How is the museum called?

That pic is from that museum in Romania.

[Praefectusclassis]

It's the Kurpfälzisches Museum.

[Eleatic Guest]

You mean that one?

Modell der Steinpfeilerbrücke von Heidelberg (um 200 n. Chr.:







I love models.

[Eleatic Guest]

I am dumbfounded. It has a segmental arch, too...! Clearly.

Do all Roman Steinpfeilerbruecken have a segmental arch? Perhaps the bridge in Trier originally, too?

hock:

[Praefectusclassis]

Yup. That's it!

[Eleatic Guest]

Just wanted to let you know, guys, that we are working on the problem. It seems that (one of) the first stone segmental arch bridge was...Roman!!!

It is the bridge of Alconetar, Province Caceres, Spain.

The bridge was destroyed in the 13th century by the Arabs, and at least two of its three arches are regarded as of Roman origin, arguably the two which feature segmental arches:

http://users.servicios.retecal.es/jomicoe/Alconetar.JPG

If this is true, then hats off to the Romans as the first inventors of the segmental arch bridge. This news certainly has to be spread for the glory of Roma Aeterna.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

There is a Roman Bridge in Madrid! Didn't get any pic's though! :roll:

Cannot say what the arches were like either, as we whizzed by rather rapidly...... :?