Stone Arch Bridges

Tag: Design

  • Sycamore Springs Bridge

    Walter Sharp on Kansas’s Stone Arch Bridge Era

    In this post we quote an interview published in 1905 featuring famous Kansas stone bridge builder Walter Sharp, in which Sharp succinctly captures the spirit and methods used in the building of Kansas’s stone bridges.

  • Augusta/Towanda Township Line Culvert

    Gothic Arches

    The Gothic arch, despite being commonly associated with cathedrals, can still be found in stone arch bridges. Surprisingly, it is one of the easiest arches to build.

  • Inside Towanda/Augusta Culvert

    The Classic Rubble Masonry Arch

    Arches constructed of rubble masonry are classic structures. They can be impressively strong, have their own unique characteristics, and are easy to build. Many stone bridges using this type of construction remain in use.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Clements Bridge

    The Story of the Clements Bridge: Part 1

    The famous double-arch Clements Bridge in Chase County, Kansas, has an unusual history. In this post, the events leading up to the erection of this bridge are described.