Stone Arch Bridges

Author: StoneArchBridges

  • Cabin John Bridge

    Long Span Arches: Design and Limitations

    Long-span stone arch bridges have challenged builders for centuries. In this post we discuss some of the design considerations as well as the limitations encountered in long-span stone arch bridge construction.

  • 20th Street Access Culvert

    Two Newly Found Butler County Stone Culverts

    We recently found two small stone arch access culverts in Butler County, one near and the other in Towanda. These curious structures are publicly accessible and are a unique piece of Butler history.

  • Updates to Our Bridge Maps

    We have updated our stone arch bridge maps of Cowley and Butler counties to be more user-friendly. They are now color-coded, allowing for easier use, especially for those on the road looking at the bridges.

  • Rubble Arch Detail

    Arch Building 101

    Arch building need not be a complicated process; rubble arches can be laid that are both easy to build and impressively durable. Many old medieval bridges in Europe testify to this.

  • Sycamore Springs Bridge

    Butler County’s Stone Arch Bridge Heritage

    Butler County, Kansas, was a pioneer in stone arch bridge construction and even now is a leader in the state for its quantity of stone bridges, a heritage the county continues to preserve.

  • Wolf Creek Bridge

    The Secret of the Arch: Practical Designs

    As seen in this post, the theory of the arch can be used to advantage to build stronger bridges. In keeping with the practical side of things, also included in this post is an empirical formula for arch thickness.

  • Glencoe Township Culvert

    The Secret of the Arch: The Principles

    The arch relies on compression to create a line of thrust that holds the arch stones in place. In this post, we investigate some of the theory of the arch and its line of thrust.

  • Walter Sharp’s Story About Bridges: Part 3

    Walter Sharp wrote a series about Cowley’s bridges called “A Story About Bridges. In this final article, Sharp subtly explains what ended Cowley’s stone bridge building.

  • Latham Blaine Street Culvert 2

    Three Significant Butler County Stone Bridge Finds

    In Latham, Butler County, Kansas, we recently found three stone arch culverts. They are significant not only because they may be the oldest in the county, but also because one is impressively wide.