A bridge is a passage structure that is created over an obstacle and makes transportation from one point to to another easy. The obstacle can be water, road, railway, valley, etc,. Bridges are important structures in our built environment that are constructed for specific situations. Construction of bridges also aid the development of cities.
Types of Bridges
Beam bridges
Arch bridges
Suspension bridges
Bridges in Lagos
Bridges have been particularly helpful to the citizens in that it eases their commuting. The bridges include but not limited to the following:
- Third mainland bridge
- Eko bridge
- Carter bridge
- Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge
Five Longest Bridges in Africa
- The 6thOctober bridge in Cairo, Egypt. This is a 20.5km long bridge and was completed in 1996.
- The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, Nigeria. This is a 11.8km long bridge and was opened in 1990.
- The Suez Canal Bridge in El-Qantara, Egypt. This is a 3.9km long bridge and was opened in 2001.
- The Mozambique Island Bridge in Island of Mozambique. This is a 3.8km long bridge and was completed in 1969.
- The Dona Ana Bridge in Mozambique. This is a 3.67km long bridge and was completed in 1934. This is a rail bridge.
Construction of Bridges Over Water
There are three methods bridges are built over water, these are:
Battered piles;
Cofferdams; and
Caissons.
Maintenance
Regular maintenance of all facilities should be prioritized and bridges are not excluded to ensure their useful lives are preserved.
Bridge defects include cracks and spalling of concrete, corrosion and spalling of reinforce steel,
Preventive maintenance to be employed include:
- Regular inspection.
- Waterproofing of decks.
- Regular cleaning of the drains, parapets, rails, etc.
- Repair of defective parts.
Steel bridges are maintenance is preventing them from corroding by coating with lead.
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Kazeem Olugbade, ProFM, is a facility management professional who has extensive knowledge and skills in the subject areas.
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