Instead of pushing straight down, the weight of an arch bridge is carried outward along the curve of the arch to the supports at each end. These supports, called the abutments, carry the load and ...

Florence's "Old Bridge" - in Italian "Ponte Vecchio" - is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge, connecting Via Por Santa Maria to Via de' Guicciardini over the Arno river.

Instead of pushing straight down, the weight of an arch bridge is carried outward along the curve of the arch to the supports at each end. These supports, called the abutments, carry the load and ...