Engineering Bridges

This book fills a gap between picture books for elementary students and technical books about bridges at the college level. It provides a readable and comprehensive illustrated guide to bridges of the world, with attention to different designs (arch, beam, truss, cantilever, suspension, cable-stayed) and materials (wood, stone, iron, steel, concrete, and even roots, grass, and plastic). Design challenges, technical advances, and environmental concerns are addressed with examples drawn from across the world and across the centuries. Fun chapters include those on movable bridges, pedestrian bridges, and bridge disasters. The style is friendly and accessible. The book includes links to online bridge-making activities from Carnegie Mellon University.