“Temporary bridge” is a lay term for any floating, modular structure. They’re generally used during periods of construction, when regularly-available pedestrian or vehicular bridges have become inaccessible. They can also be used for events, and come in particularly handy when goods need to be transported to and/or from a rural location.
Temporary Pedestrian Bridges
Temporary pedestrian bridges come in all shapes and sizes, from large overpass walkways to smaller box girder structures. The larger walkways typically have a width of between 1 and 3 metres, to allow for heavy foot traffic. These structures are invaluable for use in urban environments when normal pedestrian routes have had to be closed, as they result in minimal disruption being caused to people’s daily routines.
Temporary Vehicular Bridges
Temporary vehicular bridges are also available in a number of different sizes, which usually range between 4 and 24 metres long. Most commonly used for construction sites, to allow small to large-sized vehicles access onto a working site, they can also be installed when normal vehicular pathways have been blocked and re-routing becomes a necessity. These structures can span anything from simple trenches to railway lines and even waterways.
Most people won’t ever need to know how to install a temporary bridge but for the construction world this information is invaluable. Luckily, most temporary bridge providers offer their products in a flat pack form, which means they’re easy to install and remove, and come with all the instructions necessary for you to be able to install your own bridge as, when and for the length of time necessary for your construction project to continue uninterrupted. All temporary bridges are provided with the necessary safety provisions – including handrails, textured floor panels and additional reinforcements – to ensure that bridge users, both vehicular and pedestrian, feel completely secure when using the structure. Ramps are commonly used to provide access at either side.
The time it takes to install you temporary bridge will be entirely dependent upon the size of the bridge and the quality of the installation site, including weather conditions. Smaller bridges can be installed by a single person, but larger bridges require a team and, occasionally, the use of mechanical lifting equipment. More complex pedestrian structures – the temporary overpass bridge, for example – require more specialist machinery