Stressed ribbon bridge

A stressed ribbon bridge is a tension structure. The suspension cables are embedded in the deck which follows a catenary arc between supports. Unlike the simple span, the ribbon is stressed in traction, which adds to the stiffness of the structure. The supports in turn support upward thrusting arcs that allow the grade to be changed between spans. Such bridges are typically made from concrete reinforced by steel tensioning cables. Where such bridges carry vehicle traffic a certain degree of stiffness is required to prevent excessive flexure of the structure, obtained by stressing the concrete in compression. ()