- viaduct
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/vuy"euh dukt'/, n.a bridge for carrying a road, railroad, etc., over a valley or the like, consisting of a number of short spans.[1810-20; < L via way + (AQUE)DUCT]
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▪ bridgetype of long bridge or series of bridges, usually supported by a series of arches or on spans between tall towers. The purpose of a viaduct is to carry a road or railway over water, a valley, or another road. The viaduct is both functionally and etymologically related to the aqueduct, which carries water; both were developed by Roman engineers.The long spans of Roman viaducts were supported by semicircular arches resting on piers of stone or masonry. A well-preserved example is the span over the Tagus River at Alcantara, Spain (c. AD 105). The next advance in viaduct construction did not occur until the late 18th-century development of iron bridges and the 19th-century introduction of steel.In the early 20th century the spread of reinforced-concrete construction led to the building of concrete arch structures such as the Colorado Street viaduct over the Pasadena Freeway in California (1938). A recent method used on long viaducts is segmental construction. The sections are precast and jacked forward from one end of the viaduct to form the extension.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
