Bridges presentation
thin reinforced concrete and concrete slabs, as at the Schwandbach Bridge (1933), near
Schwarzenbach (Switzerland). Maillart's early apprenticeship with Hennebique sharpened his
awareness of the plastic character of the material. His profound understanding of reinforced concrete
allowed him to develop new, light, and magnificently sculptural forms. Maillart's bridges are of two
distinct types: stiffened-slab arches and three-hinged arches with an integrated road slab. The 295ft
(90m) Salginatobel Bridge (1930) near Schiers (Switzerland) is the most spectacular and classic
example of this type in the world.
The world's longest concrete and masonry arch bridge is the Rockville Bridge (1902), which carries
four tracks of the former Pennsylvania Railroad over the Susquehanna River (USA) on 48 arches,
70ft (21m) each, for a total length of 3820ft (1164m). It was part of a massive twenty-year
improvement programme under the direction of William H Brown, chief engineer. The largest all-
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