Landmark American Bridges

Bridges remain a timely and provocative subject not only in the history of technology and historic preservation, but in engineering, transportation, and urban planning as well. As the single most important artifact of rail and highway networks, an understanding of a bridge's historic significance is critical to understanding the role they play in America's engineering and transportation history. This book features over 200 images of over 90 American landmark bridges arranged chronologically to reveal the evolution of American bridge building. These images are from the collection of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), established in 1969 to create a graphic and textual archive of America's building arts. Through these drawings and photographs, bridges are shown to be testaments to engineering creativity, technological skills, and teamwork. Additionally, an introductory text, a timeline of bridge history, a bibliography, and a listing of bridges in the HAER collection enhance this visual history of bridge building in America.