5 Most Amazing Movable Bridges In The World

A movable bridge is a bridge that has dynamic moving parts used to change the form of the bridge, usually to allow passage for boats. There are many types of movable bridges, and they differ in the way they transform. The most popular types would be a drawbridge or a bascule bridge (tail bridge), but you can also find a retractable bridge, a swing bridge, a tilt bridge, a vertical-lift bridge, a transporter bridge and several other types

1. Tower Bridge, London, England – Built from 1886 till 1894, this symbol of London is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name. Tower Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the world and the most famous movable bridge. The lower deck which is the bascule deck can open to an angle of 86 degrees in just 5 minutes. The two parts of the deck are counterbalanced by two bascules weighing over 1,000 tons each

Most Amazing Drawbridges In The World: Tower Bridge, London

2. Slauerhoff Bridge (the Flying Drawbridge),  Leeuwarden, the Netherlands – Slauerhoff Bridge, Slauerhoffbrug or the Flying Drawbridge is a fully automated bascule bridge in which a section of the road is impressively swung in the air to allow boats to pass. The section of the road that is raised is 15 meters (49 ft) by 15 meters, and it is raised to 90 degrees!

Most Amazing Drawbridges In The World: Slauerhoffbrug (source: Bert Kaufmann via wiki)

3. Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Newcastle, England – An award winning pedestrian tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in Newcastle. The bridge opened to the public in 2001,and is sometimes referred to as the Blinking Eye Bridge or the Winking Eye Bridge

Most Amazing Drawbridges In The World: Gateshead Millennium Bridge

4. Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux, France – A vertical-lift bridge over the Garonne River in Bordeaux. Opened in 2013, the bridge has a total length of 670 m (2,200 ft) and a longest span of 100 m (330 ft), which makes it the longest vertical-lift bridge in Europe

Most Amazing Drawbridges In The World: Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas (source: Prométhée33)

5. Puente de la Mujer, Buenos Aires, Argentina – The Puente de la Mujer, or Woman´s Bridge, is a beautiful pedestrians bridge that opened in 2001, which according to some locals resembles a woman dancing tango. The bridge is located in Puerto Madero neighborhood, a waterfront area which is considered to be one of the city’s top attractions. The bridge is a swing bridge that part of it rotates 90 degrees in order to allow water traffic to pass

Most Amazing Drawbridges In The World: Puente de la Mujer