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Pontoon bridge facts for kids

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Pontoon bridge
U.S. Army troops cross the Rhine on a heavy pontoon bridge, March 1945
U.S. Army troops cross the Rhine on a heavy pontoon bridge, March 1945
Carries Pedestrian, automobile, truck
Span range Short to long
Material Various: steel, concrete, boats, barrels, plastic floats, appropriate decking material
Movable Generally not, but may have movable sections for watercraft passage
Design effort low
Falsework required No

A pontoon bridge is a special kind of bridge that floats on water. Think of it as a floating bridge! It uses special floating supports, like barges or boats, called 'pontoons'. These pontoons hold up the flat part of the bridge that people and vehicles cross.

Most pontoon bridges are built for a short time. They are often used when a quick way to cross water is needed. However, some floating bridges are built to last a long time. These permanent ones work best in calm, sheltered water. Sometimes, it's too costly to build a regular bridge with supports dug into the riverbed. In these cases, a pontoon bridge can be a great solution.

Sometimes, a pontoon bridge needs a part that can move or be lifted. This allows ships and boats to pass through without hitting the bridge.

Pontoon Bridges in History

Pontoon bridges have been very important throughout history, especially during wartime. Soldiers often used them to cross rivers quickly. These bridges were usually temporary. Sometimes, they were even taken apart or destroyed after an army crossed. This stopped the enemy from using them.

Pontoon bridges have been used in many famous battles. They have helped armies move quickly and surprise their enemies. People believe that the very first London Bridge was a Roman pontoon bridge. Roman legions were skilled at building these bridges. They carried the tools and materials needed to make them on their marches. The first known pontoon bridge was built by the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China.

Images for kids

  • Bergsøysundbrua

    The Bergsøysund Bridge uses concrete pontoons

  • 1561-Akbar riding the elephant Hawa'I pursuing another elephant across a collapsing bridge of boats (left)

    Mughal emperor Akbar the Great riding the ferocious elephant Hawa'i, pursuing another elephant across a collapsing bridge of boats (left), in Basawan and Chetar Munti's "Akbar's Adventure with the Elephant Hawa’i", dated 1561

  • Puente Barcas Sevilla 1851

    The old Puente de barcas, connected Seville and Triana from 1171 to 1851

  • Parma's bridge over the Scheldt, built of ships - Schipbrug van Parma over de Schelde

    Parma's bridge over the Scheldt in 1584, built of ships. 1616 illustration.

  • Pontoon bridge 1865

    Pontoon bridge across the James River at Richmond, Virginia, 1865

  • Bridge of Boats on the Ravi River, Pakistan, 1895

    A bridge of boats over the Ravi River in British India, 1895

  • 3e régiment du génie

    3e régiment du génie (French Wikipedia), The 3rd French Regiment of Pioneers are building a Pontoon Bridge over the river Ourthe in Chênée, Belgium in the 1930s.

  • Omaha Mulberry Harbour

    A Whale floating roadway leading to a Spud pier at Mulberry A off Omaha Beach

  • M4T6 pontoon bridge 1983

    M4T6 pontoon bridge 1983

  • Timsach-Gillois-latrun-1

    EWK-Gillois amphibious bridging vehicle

  • German M3 amphibious bridging vehicles 2015

    German M3 amphibious bridging vehicles 2015

  • Mobile Floating Assault Bridge-Ferry 1980

    Mobile floating assault bridge–ferry 1980

  • Mobile Floating Assault Bridge 1982

    Mobile Floating Assault Bridge 1982

  • PMP Folding Float Brisge 1996

    PMP folding float bridge 1996

  • Standard Ribbon Bridge 2004

    Standard ribbon bridge 2004

  • Evergreen Point Floating Bridge - looking east from bike trail at west high-rise

    The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, the world's longest permanent floating bridge, crosses Lake Washington east of Seattle

  • Heavy and pneumatic pontons loaded for transport to Remagen

    Smaller, lighter pneumatic pontons piggy-backed upon large aluminum heavy pontons for combined transport

  • 3rd Armored Division vehicles cross the Seine River

    Pneumatic pontons support a treadway bridge

  • Inflatable pontons headed for the Danube in Germany, April 1945

    Pneumatic pontons being carried by heavy 6×6 transports

  • Rhine River pontoon bridge wwii

    Heavy ponton bridge supported by large aluminum pontons

  • Engineers bridging the wide but placid Po

    Treadway bridge atop pneumatic pontons

  • Infantry support bridge over Saar River erected by 289th Engineers at Volklingen

    Infantry support bridge supported by light aluminum pontoons

  • Bridge-construction-korea

    Treadway being installed using truck mounted crane

  • Footbridge on the Roer

    Infantry footbridge supported by pontons

  • Infantry support bridge built by 549th Light Ponton Company

    Treadway style infantry support bridge built on light aluminum pontons

  • M2 Treadway Bridge on the Rhine at Boppard near Koblenz, Germany, March 1945

    M2 Treadway bridge supported by pneumatic floats

  • The British Army in Normandy 1944 B9743

    British troops crossing the Seine at Vernon, France on 28 August 1944

  • Pontonbruecke

    Heavy ponton bridge

  • Bailey Bridge over the River Maas

    Bailey bridge supported by pontoons

  • Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L20392, Kiew, Pioniere errichten Pontonbrücke

    German pioneers construct a pontoon bridge across the Dnieper during the battle of Kiev, September 1941

  • Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F016198-0033, Rumänien, Brückenbau über den Pruth

    German engineers building a pontoon bridge across the Prut River during the advance towards Uman, July 1941

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Puente de barcas para niños

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