Multi-way bridge

"T-bridge" and "Y-bridge" redirect here. For individual bridges see the list below.

File:Tridge Sine Waves.jpg

The Tridge in Midland, Michigan

A multi-way bridge is a bridge with three or more distinct and separate spans, where one end of each span meets at a common point near the centre of the bridge. Unlike other bridges which have two entry-exit points, multi-way bridges have three or more entry-exit points. For this reason, multi-way bridges are not to be confused with commonly found road bridges which carry vehicles in one direction from one entry point, and then bifurcate into two other one-way bridges.

Description

Multi-way bridges are located throughout the world, though they are rare. Some are as small as a footbridge, while others are multi-lane roadways. Three-way bridges are often referred to as "T-bridges" or "Y-bridges", due to their shape when viewed from above. Three cities in Michigan each have a three-way bridge named "Tridge", combining "tri" and "bridge": The Tridge (Midland, Michigan), The Tridge (Ypsilanti, Michigan) and The Tridge in Brighton, Michigan. The unique shape of a multi-way bridge makes it easy to identify from an airplane. Pilot Amelia Earhart described Zanesville, Ohio as "the most recognizable city in the country" because of its Y-shaped bridge, and the pilots of Enola Gay aimed for Hiroshima's T-shaped Aioi Bridge when they dropped the atom bomb. While designing the Tripartite Bridge in 1846—a Y-bridge proposed to span the Allegheny River and Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—engineer John A. Roebling identified one of the challenges of erecting a three-way suspension-type bridge. Suspension-bridge cables on two-way bridges support heavy loads and are anchored solidly at either end, while on a three-way bridge the cables of each of the three spans need to anchor at a central pier in the water, where cable forces from each span would have to balance each another: "the intersection of the cables at the top of the center pier...would have created enormous horizontal forces, and the stone arches connecting the three towers could hardly have resisted the tensions imposed by the cables radiating from their tops." The bridge was never built.

Three-way bridges

Bridge name	Location	Coordinates	Description	Image
Aioi Bridge	Hiroshima, Japan	34.3964°N 132.4526°E / 34.3964; 132.4526 (Aioi Bridge)	Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge. Built in 1932, heavily damaged by atomic bombing in 1945, reconstructed 1983.	File:Aioi Bridge, Hiroshima (2016).jpg
Alsen Bridge	Berlin, Germany	52.5235°N 13.3722°E / 52.5235; 13.3722 (Alsen Bridge)	T-shaped bridge. Built in 1858; damaged by exposure to shipping, and torn down in 1890.	File:F Albert Schwartz - Alsenbrücke, 1875.jpg
Andorra Bridge	Madrid, Spain	40.405114°N 3.722811°W / 40.405114; -3.722811 (Andorra Bridge)	Y-shaped footbridge over Manzanares River.	File:Madrid ahorra 25,7 millones de euros al año gracias a su bosque urbano 03.jpg
Bergues Bridge (fr:Pont des Bergues)	Geneva, Switzerland	46.20593°N 6.147054°E / 46.20593; 6.147054 (Bergues Bridge (Pont des Bergues))	Pedestrian Y-bridge over the Rhône.	File:Pont des Bergues.JPG
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee building footbridge	Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States	35.05223°N 85.31798°W / 35.05223; -85.31798 (BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee building footbridge)	T-shaped footbridge
Bow River Pathway bridge	Calgary, Canada	51.048807°N 114.109497°W / 51.048807; -114.109497 (Bow River Pathway bridge)	T-shaped footbridge
Bridge With 3 Branches (Le pont à 3 branches)	Pont-de-Veyle, France	46.266467°N 4.879134°E / 46.266467; 4.879134 (Bridge With 3 Branches)	Pedestrian Y-bridge over the Veyle.	File:Le pont à 3 branches Pont de Veyle.JPG
Bridge With Three Entrances (Ponte das Três Entradas)	Oliveira do Hospital Municipality, Portugal	40.306739°N 7.871198°W / 40.306739; -7.871198 (Bridge with Three Entrances)	Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge.
Calatrava Bridge	Petah Tikva, Israel	32.091803°N 34.86641°E / 32.091803; 34.86641 (Caltrava Bridge)	Y-shaped footbridge designed by Santiago Calatrava.	File:Caltrava bridge in Petah Tikva01.jpg
Camp Evergreen Girl Scouts Camp bridge	Cowlitz County, Washington, United States	46.211098°N 123.206755°W / 46.211098; -123.206755 (Bridge at Camp Evergreen Girl Scouts Camp)	Pedestrian Y-bridge over Mill Creek.
Chincoteague Road	Chincoteague, Virginia, United States	37.937603°N 75.381620°W / 37.937603; -75.381620 (Chincoteague Road)	Vehicle T-bridge.
Chu Y Bridge	Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam	10.750946°N 106.683653°E / 10.750946; 106.683653 (Chu Y Bridge)	Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge built in 1937.	File:Cầu chữ Y (bridge 1968).jpg
Colin Glen Forest Park Tri-Bridge	Dunmurry, Northern Ireland	54.577218°N 6.034307°W / 54.577218; -6.034307 (Raehills Three-Way Footbridge)	Y-shaped footbridge.
Eco-Viikki Three Way Bridge	Helsinki, Finland	60.226107°N 25.034079°E / 60.226107; 25.034079 (Eco-Viikki 3-way Bridge)	Pedestrian Y-bridge.
Fogelsangh State Three Way Bridge	Veenklooster, Netherlands	53.263396°N 6.109713°E / 53.263396; 6.109713 (Fogelsangh State)	Pedestrian Y-bridge.	File:Driearmige brug Fogelsangh State in Veenklooster.jpg
Galena Y-Bridge	Galena, Missouri, United States	36.805393°N 93.460998°W / 36.805393; -93.460998 (Galena Y-Bridge)	Y-shaped bridge historically used for vehicle traffic, now a footbridge.	File:Y-Bridge 2.JPG
Jasenovac Tri-Bridge	Between Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, Slavonia and Uštica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	45.267997°N 16.916949°E / 45.267997; 16.916949 (Jasenovac Tri-Bridge)	Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge originally built in 1973, destroyed in 1991, then re-built in 2005.
Kang Ding Tri-Bridge	Kang Ding Xian, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China	30.05592°N 101.965254°E / 30.05592; 101.965254 (Kang Ding Tri-Bridge)	Pedestrian Y-bridge.
Kikko Bridge	Aoyamakogen Country Club, Mie Prefecture, Japan	34.700234°N 136.401003°E / 34.700234; 136.401003 (Kikko Bridge)	Y-shaped footbridge built in 1991.
Krestovy Bridge	Saint Petersburg, Russia	59°42′55.61″N 30°23′24.93″E	Built in 1779, the Krestovy Bridge is a pedestrian Y-bridge over Krestovy Canal in Alexander Park.	File:314. Pushkin. Cross bridge with gazebo.jpg
Lune Millennium Bridge	Lancaster, Lancashire, England	54.052191°N 2.802525°W / 54.052191; -2.802525 (Lune Millennium Bridge)	Y-shaped footbridge.	File:Lune Millennium Bridge from northern bank.jpg
Louisa/Fort Gay Tri-Bridge Four-way bridges Bridge name Location Coordinates Description Image Bridge over Fondamenta Tre Ponti Venice, Italy 45°26′13.49″N 12°19′11.74″E Four-way footbridge over the intersection of three canals. File:Ponte dei Tre Ponti (Venice).jpg Bridge over two canals at Les Attaques, France Les Attaques, France 50°53′35.63″N 1°58′11.89″E Four-way vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge over two canals. File:Pont sans pareil 01 09.jpg The Three Bridges (De Tre Broer) Aarhus, Denmark 56.14380°N 10.17347°E / 56.14380; 10.17347 (The Three Bridges) Bikeway bridge in H-shape over Arhus River. The bridge has two spans to each of the river banks. They are connected by a longer fifth span in the middle of the river. The middle span passes under 3 railway bridges which crosses the river. File:De tre broer.jpg Five-way bridge Bridge name Location Coordinates Description Image Ponte dei Trepponti Comacchio, Italy 44.692984°N 12.18329°E / 44.692984; 12.18329 (Treponti) Five-way stone footbridge at the intersection of five canals, built in 1634. File:Comacchio-Trepponti-IMG 0231-ter.JPG References File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to Multi-way bridges at Wikimedia Commons