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Swing bridge

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A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right.

In its closed position, a swing bridge carrying a road or railway over a river or canal, for example, allows traffic to cross. When a water vessel needs to pass the bridge, road traffic is stopped (usually by traffic signals and barriers), and then motors rotate the bridge horizontally about its pivot point. The typical swing bridge will rotate approximately 90 degrees, or one-quarter turn; however, a bridge which intersects the navigation channel at an oblique angle may be built to rotate only 45 degrees, or one-eighth turn, in order to clear the channel. Small swing bridges as found over narrow canals may be pivoted only at one end, opening as would a gate, but require substantial underground structure to support the pivot.

AdvantagesEdit

File:I Street Bridge Sacramento.jpg
I Street swing Bridge span turned to allow a boat to pass Sacramento California
File:BNSF Bridge 9.6 swing span turned.jpg
BNSF Railroad Bridge 9.6 across the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon, showing the swing-span section turning.
  • As this type requires no counterweights, the complete weight is significantly reduced as compared to other moveable bridges.
  • Where the channel is wide enough for separate traffic directions on each side, the likelihood of vessel-to-vessel collisions is reduced.
  • The central support is often mounted upon a berm along the axis of the watercourse, intended to protect the bridge from watercraft collisions when it is opened. This artificial island forms an excellent construction area for building the moveable span, as the construction will not impede traffic.

DisadvantagesEdit

File:Swing Bridge and ferry in motion.jpg
An example of how small swing bridges like this one may be pivoted only at one end, but that does require substantial underground structure to support the pivot. Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town.
  • In a symmetrical bridge, the central pier forms a hazard to navigation. Asymmetrical bridges may place the pivot near one side of the channel.
  • Where a wide channel is not available, a large portion of the bridge may be over an area that would be easily spanned by other means.
  • A wide channel will be reduced by the center pivot and foundation.
  • When open, the bridge will have to maintain its own weight as a balanced double cantilever, while when closed and in use for traffic, the live loads will be distributed as in a pair of conventional truss bridges, which may require additional stiffness in some members whose loading will be alternately in compression and tension.
  • If struck from the water near the edge of the span, it may rotate enough to cause safety problems (see Big Bayou Canot rail accident).

ExamplesEdit

File:Govt bridge anim2.gif
Government Bridge across the Mississippi has a swing section for river traffic traversing Lock and Dam 15

AlbaniaEdit

ArgentinaEdit

AustraliaEdit

  • Gladesville Bridge, Sydney. Opened 1881, closed 1964 and demolished; had a small swing span on the southern end.
  • Pyrmont Bridge, Sydney. Opened 1902. Closed to traffic 1988. Still in use as a pedestrian bridge.
  • Glebe Island Bridge, Sydney. Opened 1903. Tramway defunct. Closed to traffic, 1995; supplanted by Anzac Bridge. Still in existence.
  • Hay Bridge, Hay, New South Wales. Opened 1873, demolished 1973. Replaced by a fixed concrete bridge.
  • Victoria Bridge, Townsville, Queensland. Opened 1889, closed to traffic 1975. Still in use as a foot bridge.
  • Sale Swing Bridge, Sale, Victoria. Opened 1883. Closed to traffic in 2002. Restored to full working order in 2006.
  • Dunalley Bridge, Dunalley, Tasmania. Still in use.

BelgiumEdit

  • Verbindingsbrug, Zeebrugge. Opened in May 2022. With a length of 130 metres and a passage width of 55 metres, it is the longest swing bridge in Europe.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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BelizeEdit

  • Belize City Swing Bridge, Belize City, Belize. Oldest such bridge in Central America and one of the few manually operated swing bridge in world still in operation. (Restored in the 2000s)

CanadaEdit

Bridge Name Waterway Co-ordinates Status Comments
Cambie Street Bridge Connaught Bridge False Creek, Vancouver, British Columbia Template:Coord Demolished/replaced (1985), formerly vehicle, pedestrian & streetcar traffic Short documentary "Swingspan" tells the history of the bridge and its demolition.
Canso Canal Bridge Canso Canal, Nova Scotia Template:Coord Still swings, Vehicle/Rail Traffic Links Nova Scotia mainland with Cape Breton Island with 2 traffic lanes of Highway 104 (the Trans-Canada Highway) as well as a single track railway line operated by the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway (CBNS).
CNR Bridge Fraser River, British Columbia Template:Coord Still swings, Rail Traffic Between Queensborough in New Westminster, British Columbia and the mainland
Derwent Way Bridge Fraser River, British Columbia Template:Coord Still swings, Vehicle/Rail Traffic Between Queensborough in New Westminster, British Columbia and Annacis Island in Delta, British Columbia
Fredericton Railway Bridge Fredericton, New Brunswick Template:Coord No longer swings, pedestrian traffic. Constructed in 1887 and opened 1889. Last train on the bridge was in 1996.
Grand Narrows Bridge Barra Strait, Bras d'Or Lake, Nova Scotia Template:Coord Was last opened for marine traffic on December 30, 2014 remaining open for marine traffic since that date, no longer swings, Rail Traffic cannot cross. Carrying the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway (CBNS).
Hog's Back Bridge Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Ontario Template:Coord Still swings, Vehicle Traffic This bridge swings from one end. There is an adjacent fixed bridge over Hog's Back Falls
Iron Bridge Third Welland Canal, Thorold, Ontario Template:Coord No longer swings, Rail Traffic Carrying the CNR Grimsby Subdivision over the third Welland Canal.
Kaministiquia River Swing Bridge Kaministiquia River, Thunder Bay, Ontario Template:Coord No longer swings. Road and rail traffic only. Currently closed due to 29 October 2013 fire<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Built in 1908 by Grand Trunk Railway; currently owned by the CNR
Little Current Swing Bridge North Channel, Little Current, Ontario Template:Coord Still swings, Vehicle Traffic (formerly rail) Built by Algoma Eastern Railway, 1913
Montrose Swing Bridge Welland River, Niagara Falls, Ontario Template:Coord No longer swings, Rail Traffic Formerly Canada Southern Railway, now CPR
Moray Bridge Middle Arm of the Fraser River, Richmond, British Columbia Template:Coord Still swings; Eastbound Vehicle Traffic Connects Sea Island, Richmond, BC (location of Vancouver International Airport) to Lulu Island, Richmond, BC
New Westminster Bridge Fraser River, British Columbia Template:Coord Still swings, Rail Traffic, formerly had 2nd deck for vehicles Between New Westminster and Surrey.
Pitt River Bridge Pitt River, British Columbia Template:Coord No longer swings, Vehicle Traffic Twin side-by-side bridges connecting Port Coquitlam, British Columbia to Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
Pitt River Railway Bridge Pitt River, British Columbia Template:Coord Still swings – Rail Traffic (Please Contribute)
Wasauksing (Rose Point) Swing Bridge South Channel, Georgian Bay, near Parry Sound, Ontario Template:Coord Still swings, Vehicle Traffic (formerly rail) Links Wasauksing First Nation (Parry Island) to the mainland at Rose Point
Welland Canal, Bridge 15 Welland Recreational Waterway, Welland, Ontario Template:Coord No longer swings, Rail Traffic Built by Canada Southern Railway, Template:Circa. Now operated by Trillium Railway
Welland Canal, Bridge 20 Approach Span 2nd and 3rd Welland Canal, Port Colborne, Ontario Template:Coord No longer swings, Abandoned (formerly rail) Abandoned 1998 when adjacent Vertical-lift bridge was dismantled.
Bergen Cut-off Bridge Red River, Winnipeg, Manitoba Template:Coord Centre span permanently in open position, allowing unrestricted river traffic Decommissioned CPR railway bridge (last used in 1946)
Superstructure built by Dominion Bridge Co. 1913–1914
Pont CN-Du port Lachine Canal, Montreal, Quebec Template:Coord No longer swings. Abandoned CN railway swing bridge in the middle of Lachine Canal. Constructed in 1912 by the Dominion Bridge Company for the Grand Trunk Railway company.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> The pivot system and the cockpit are still in place, but the bridge has not been operational since the late 1960s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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ChinaEdit

DenmarkEdit

  • Lille Langebro Pedestrian double swing bridge crossing the inner harbour at Copenhagen.<ref name="Williams">Template:Cite news</ref>
  • Naestved Svingbro, Horizontal clearance 42.0m. Carries a 14m-wide trunk road over the Naestved Canal.<ref>Naestved Svingbro</ref>

EgyptEdit

File:El Ferdan Railway Bridge.jpg
El Ferdan Railway Bridge in Egypt; the longest swing bridge in the world, runs from the east of the Suez Canal to the west into Sinai. It is left open most of the time to allow sailing ships to pass in the canal, only closing during the passage of trains.

EstoniaEdit

  • The Admiral Bridge (Admiralisild) is a pedestrian bridge in Tallinn, Estonia, connecting two parts of the Old City Harbour. It allows access to the Admiralty Pool (Admiraliteedi bassein) for yachts. It became the first swing bridge in Estonia in 2021.

FranceEdit

  • Le pont tournant rue Dieu, across the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, is a distinctive location in the 1938 film Hôtel du Nord, and is featured in the opening shot of the film.

GermanyEdit

IndiaEdit

File:Poira Bridge.JPG
Poira-Corjuem Bridge, Goa

IrelandEdit

ItalyEdit

File:Ponte Girevole Taranto.jpg
The Ponte Girevole San Francesco di Paola in Taranto
  • Ponte Girevole, Taranto (built in 1958, after an 1887 one of similar design but using different materials) – a very unusual type, with two spans that separate at the bridge's center and pivot sideways from the bridge's outer ends.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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LatviaEdit

  • Kalpaka Tilts, Liepāja, connecting the city with the former Russian/Soviet port Karosta.

LithuaniaEdit

File:Klaipeda most obrotowy 1.jpg
Chain Bridge, Klaipeda
  • Chain Bridge, Klaipeda. Built in 1855 and still working today, this is the only swing bridge in Lithuania. When the bridge is turned, boats and yachts can enter the Castle port. Rotation of the bridge is manual; two people can rotate the bridge.

The NetherlandsEdit

File:Delft Abtwoudsebrug.jpg
The "Abtswoudsebrug", a swing bridge for bikers and pedestrians built in 1979

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  • There is another one on the channel between Ghent (Belgium) and Terneuzen (The Netherlands) at Sas Van Gent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Many inner cities have swing bridges, since these require less street space than other types of bridges.

New ZealandEdit

(A "swing bridge" in New Zealand refers to a flexible walking track bridge which "swings" as you walk across.)<ref>Walkway swingbridge manual / prepared and finalised by S. Chiet ... [et al.] Published by : New Zealand Forest Service, Wellington [N.Z.] : 1986.</ref>

PanamaEdit

PolandEdit

  • A swing bridge at the Giżycko is one of four bridges that cross over the Luczanski Channel. It is one of ten (four still in operation) swing bridges in Poland.
  • A swing bridge in Ustka, which crosses the Słupia River, and is walkable every 20 minutes.

South AfricaEdit

File:Clocktower Bridge in Cape Town.jpg
The Clocktower Bridge, in Cape Town, starting to close behind a small boat
  • The Clocktower Bridge is a pedestrian swing bridge at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town.

TaiwanEdit

File:2020. 09.06 總統參訪「大港橋」 (50311069692).jpg
Great Harbor Bridge in Kaohsiung during its rotation

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UkraineEdit

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United KingdomEdit

File:Northwich Road swing bridge, Warrington.jpg
Traffic crossing the Northwich Road swing bridge on the Manchester Ship Canal at Stockton Heath, Warrington
File:Hull And Barnsley River Hull Bridge.jpg
Hull Docks branch bridge

In the UK, there is a legal definition in current statute as to what is, or is not a 'swing bridge'<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Crosskeys Bridge Sutton Bridge Lincolnshire.JPG
Cross Keys Bridge in Sutton Bridge which carries the A17 over the River Nene in Lincolnshire close to the border with Norfolk.

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  • Operation of the Sulhamstead Tyle Mill swing bridge on the Kennet & Avon Canal
  • Sulhamstead Tyle Mill swing bridge.JPG
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  • Sulhamstead Tyle Mill swing bridge 2.JPG
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  • Sulhamstead Tyle Mill swing bridge 4.JPG
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United StatesEdit

File:Chincoteague Channel Swing Bridge 002.jpg
The former Chincoteague Channel Swing Bridge in Chincoteague, Virginia, now demolished.

The largest double swing-span bridge in the United States is the Template:Convert long, Template:Convert navigable span, Template:Convert clearance George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> The world's shortest are located in the United Kingdom over some of the narrowest canals in the world, for example on the Stroudwater Navigation,<ref name="SVCC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or, see Yar Swing Bridge above.

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  • Curtis Creek Rail Bridge, Baltimore, Maryland<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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File:SpinningDrawbridge.JPG
A swing bridge near Belle Glade, Florida

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File:I Street Bridge Sacramento.jpg
The swing span of the double-deck I Street Bridge, in Sacramento, open for a ship.

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Omaha NE Turn Style Bridge is now a historical landmark. Located 86H674H5+98 Used for rail transport. Connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa to downtown Omaha, Nebraska

UruguayEdit

File:Puente giratorio de Carmelo en 1912.jpg
Carmelo Bridge, Uruguay, during its inauguration in 1912.
  • Carmelo Bridge. Built in 1912 in Carmelo, it is the oldest swing bridge in all of Latin America.
  • Barra del Santa Lucia Bridge. Built in 1925 as a railway bridge, today is used only by pedestrians.

VietnamEdit

File:Han River Bridge, 20241207, geöffnet.jpeg
Han River Bridge in the open position
  • Han River Bridge in downtown Da Nang was designed and built by Vietnamese engineers and workers, and opened on 29 March 2000. Featuring a symmetrical cable-stayed steel swing span with a total length of 122.7m rotating on a rim-bearing circular central pier, it is the only swing bridge operating in Vietnam as of 2025.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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