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How are concrete arch bridges supported while their arches are being built?
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bridge
The multiple-span Seto Great Bridge over the Inland Sea, linking Kojima, Honshu, with Sakaide, Shikoku, Japan.
To construct a concrete arch bridge, engineers first build the necessary abutments and, if the bridge consists of multiple arches, the required piers.12
Once these foundations are in place, a temporary structure known as falsework is erected. This metal or wooden framework, along with specialized forms, serves to hold the cast concrete in the desired shape while it cures and gains structural integrity. Once the concrete arch is complete and becomes self-supporting, the falsework and forms are removed.12