Editing Bridge (section)

===Bridge types by material===
[[File:Ironbridge 6.jpg|thumb|[[The Iron Bridge]] in Shropshire, England, completed in 1781, the first cast iron bridge]]
[[File:Kraemerbruecke und Aegidienkirche Erfurt 2017.jpg|thumb|[[Krämerbrücke]] in [[Erfurt]], Germany, a bridge with [[half timbered]] buildings]]
[[File:Stone bridge, Othoni island.jpg|thumb|A small stone bridge in [[Othonoi]], Greece]]
The materials used to build the structure are also used to categorize bridges. Until the end of the 18th century, bridges were made out of timber, stone and masonry. Modern bridges are currently built in concrete, [[Steel bridge|steel]], fiber reinforced polymers (FRP), stainless steel or combinations of those materials. [[Living root bridges|Living bridges]] have been constructed of live plants such as ''[[Ficus elastica]]'' tree roots in India<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://livingrootbridges.com/methods-of-creating-living-root-bridges/|title=How are Living Root Bridges Made?|date=5 May 2017|work=The Living Root Bridge Project|access-date=8 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905002548/https://livingrootbridges.com/methods-of-creating-living-root-bridges/|archive-date=5 September 2017}}</ref> and [[wisteria]] vines in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vine-bridges-japan|title=The Vine Bridges of Iya Valley|website=Atlas Obscura|access-date=8 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908110829/http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vine-bridges-japan|archive-date=8 September 2017}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Bridge type !! Materials used
|-
| Cantilever || For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from [[structural steel]], or box girders built from [[prestressed concrete]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cantilever|url=http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/types/cantilever|website=Bridges of Dublin|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029131006/http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/types/cantilever|archive-date=29 October 2014}}</ref>
|-
| Suspension || The cables are usually made of [[steel cable]]s galvanised with [[zinc]],{{citation needed|reason=Galvanising is rare on highly stressed structural wires as it can cause cracking.|date=September 2016}} along with most of the bridge, but some bridges are still made with steel-[[reinforced concrete]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Suspension Bridges|url=http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Suspension-Bridge.html|website=Made How|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102202158/http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Suspension-Bridge.html|archive-date=2 January 2015}}</ref>
|-
| Arch || [[Stone]], brick and other such materials that are strong in compression and somewhat so in shear.
|-
| Beam || Beam bridges can use pre-stressed concrete, an inexpensive building material, which is then embedded with [[rebar]]. The resulting bridge can resist both compression and tension forces.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beam Bridges |work = Nova Online|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/china/meetbeam.html|publisher=PBS|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150106053043/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/china/meetbeam.html|archive-date= 6 January 2015}}</ref>
|-
| Truss ||The triangular pieces of truss bridges are manufactured from straight and steel bars, according to the truss bridge designs.<ref>{{cite web|last1=K|first1=Aggeliki|last2=Stonecypher|first2=Lamar|title=Truss Bridge Designs|url=http://www.brighthubengineering.com/structural-engineering/63635-truss-bridge-designs/|website=Bright Hub Engineering|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219192803/http://www.brighthubengineering.com/structural-engineering/63635-truss-bridge-designs/|archive-date=19 February 2015|date=10 February 2010}}</ref>
|}