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.[1]
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":[1] 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,[2] and the pilots of Enola Gay aimed for Hiroshima's T-shaped Aioi Bridge when they dropped the atom bomb.[3]
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,[4] 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."[4] [5] The bridge was never built.[4]
| Bridge name | Location | Coordinates | Description | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aioi Bridge | Hiroshima, Japan | Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge. Built in 1932, heavily damaged by atomic bombing in 1945, reconstructed 1983. | |||
| Alsen Bridge | Berlin, Germany | T-shaped bridge. Built in 1858; damaged by exposure to shipping, and torn down in 1890. | |||
| Andorra Bridge | Madrid, Spain | Y-shaped footbridge over Manzanares River. | |||
| Bergues Bridge | Geneva, Switzerland | Pedestrian Y-bridge over the Rhône. | |||
| BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee building footbridge | Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States | T-shaped footbridge | |||
| Bow River Pathway bridge | Calgary, Canada | T-shaped footbridge | |||
| Bridge With 3 Branches (Le pont à 3 branches) | Pont-de-Veyle, France | Pedestrian Y-bridge over the Veyle. | |||
| Bridge With Three Entrances (Ponte das Três Entradas) | Oliveira do Hospital Municipality, Portugal | Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge. | |||
| Calatrava Bridge | Petah Tikva, Israel | Y-shaped footbridge designed by Santiago Calatrava. | |||
| Camp Evergreen Girl Scouts Camp bridge | Cowlitz County, Washington, United States | Pedestrian Y-bridge over Mill Creek. | |||
| Chincoteague Road | Chincoteague, Virginia, United States | Vehicle T-bridge. | |||
| Chu Y Bridge | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge built in 1937.[6] | |||
| Colin Glen Forest Park Tri-Bridge | Dunmurry, Northern Ireland | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| Eco-Viikki Three Way Bridge | Helsinki, Finland | Pedestrian Y-bridge. | |||
| Fogelsangh State Three Way Bridge | Veenklooster, Netherlands | Pedestrian Y-bridge. | |||
| Galena Y-Bridge | Galena, Missouri, United States | Y-shaped bridge historically used for vehicle traffic, now a footbridge. | |||
| Jasenovac Tri-Bridge | Between Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, Slavonia and Uštica, Bosnia and Herzegovina | Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge originally built in 1973, destroyed in 1991, then re-built in 2005.[7] | |||
| Kang Ding Tri-Bridge | Kang Ding Xian, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China | Pedestrian Y-bridge. | |||
| Kikko Bridge | Aoyamakogen Country Club, Mie Prefecture, Japan | Y-shaped footbridge built in 1991. | |||
| Krestovy Bridge | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Built in 1779, the Krestovy Bridge is a pedestrian Y-bridge over Krestovy Canal in Alexander Park.[8] | |||
| Lune Millennium Bridge | Lancaster, Lancashire, England | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| Louisa/Fort Gay Tri-Bridge | Between Fort Gay, West Virginia and Louisa, Kentucky, United States | Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge opened in 1906. | |||
| Lowell T Bridge | Lowell, Ohio, United States | Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge over Muskingum River. | |||
| Malvina Footbridge | Malvina, Mississippi, United States | Wooden vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge built in the late 1920s, and demolished in 1972.[9] | |||
| Mangakahia Twin Bridges | Nukutawhiti, New Zealand | Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge over Mangakahia River. | |||
| Margaret Bridge | Budapest, Hungary | Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge. | |||
| Miyoshi Bridge | Tokyo, Japan | Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge (1929) over a bend in the Tsukiji canal.[10] | |||
| , also called Mercedesbrug | Veelerveen, Netherlands | Pedestrian Y-bridge built in 1989 at the convergence of the Mussel, Diamonds, and During canals.[11] | |||
| Overseas Highway | Pigeon Key, Florida, United States | Partially abandoned vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge. | |||
| Pierre Corneille Bridge | Rouen, France | Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge over the Seine. | |||
| Raehills Three-Way Footbridge | Lockerbie, Scotland | Y-shaped footbridge built in the late 1800s.[12] | |||
| Sancha Zijin Bridge/Hama Bridge | Xingtai, Hebei, China | Vehicle and pedestrian stone Y-bridge built in 1691.[13] | |||
| Sheikh Hasina Titas Bridge | Charlohania, Bangladesh | Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge opened in 2018 over Titas River and Sadarghat-Ramchandrapur Ferry Path.[14] | |||
| Staniastate footbridge | Staniastate, Oentsjerk, Netherlands | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| Stockingfield Bridge | Glasgow, Scotland | Y-shaped footbridge over Forth and Clyde Canal, connecting Maryhill, Ruchill, and Gilshochill. Completed in 2022.[15] | |||
| Strömsborgsbron | Gamla stan, Sweden | Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge. | |||
| Thetford Footbridge | Thetford, England | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| Three-Legged Bridge | Milton Keynes, England | Y-shaped footbridge | |||
| Three-Way Bridge | Lyons Falls, New York, United States | Vehicle and pedestrian wooden T-bridge opened in 1849, replaced with steel in 1916, and demolished in 1965.[16] | |||
| Tinmukhe Bridge | Lumbini Province, Nepal | Y-shaped suspension bridge at junction of Gulmi, Palpa and Syangja districts.[17] | |||
| The Tridge (Brighton) | Brighton, Michigan, United States | Y-shaped footbridge.[18] | |||
| The Tridge (Midland) | Midland, Michigan, United States | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| The Tridge (Ypsilanti) | Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| Trangrav Bridge (Trangravsbroen) | Copenhagen, Denmark | Pedestrian and cyclist Y-bridge over Christianshavn Canal and Trangraven. Two of the bridge spans may open for passing sailboats. When both spans open at the same time the bridge resembles a butterfly.[19] | |||
| Trinity Bridge (Crowland) | Crowland, Lincolnshire, England | Y-shaped stone footbridge. | |||
| Trinity Bridge (Greater Manchester) | Greater Manchester, England | Y-shaped footbridge over River Irwell, designed by Santiago Calatrava. | |||
| Tripartite Bridge | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge over Moyka River and Griboyedov Canal. | |||
| Vijversburg Estate Tri-Bridge | Tytsjerk, Netherlands | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| Vines Mansion Bridge | Loganville, Georgia, United States | Y-shaped footbridge. | |||
| Ypsilon Bridge | Drammen, Norway | 59.7444°N 10.1953°W | Y-shaped footbridge. | ||
| Zanesville Y-Bridge | Zanesville, Ohio, United States | Vehicle and pedestrian Y-bridge. |
| Bridge name | Location | Coordinates | Description | Image | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge over Fondamenta Tre Ponti | Venice, Italy | Four-way footbridge over the intersection of three canals. | ||||
| Bridge over two canals at Les Attaques, France | Les Attaques, France | Four-way vehicle and pedestrian T-bridge over two canals. | ||||
| The Three Bridges (De Tre Broer) | Aarhus, Denmark | 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. |