Bailey Bridge - Modern Bailey Bridges

Modern Bailey Bridges

Bailey bridges are in regular use throughout the world in the 21st century.

Some exceptional examples include:

• The longest Bailey bridge was put into service in October 1975. This 788 metres (2,585 ft), two–lane bridge crossed the Derwent River at Hobart, Australia. It was opened around a year after the Tasman Bridge disaster destroyed the only river crossing and effectively divided the city in two. The Bailey bridge was in use until the reconstruction of the Tasman Bridge was completed on 8 October 1977.

• A Bailey bridge between the Suru River and Dras River in Ladakh, India is the highest bridge in the world at an altitude of 5,602 metres (18,379 ft) above sea level. It was built in 1982 by the Indian Army.

• In the mid-1950s auto racing circuit Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut purchased a war-surplus Bailey Bridge so vehicles could enter/exit the infield and paddock sections of the track while races were taking place. The bridge has been in continuous service since, and was relocated to new, raised pilings in the spring of 2008. The track believes this may be the sole-remaining WWII-era Bailey Bridge in regular daily public service in the U.S.

• An under-construction footbridge at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, one of the main venues for 2010 Commonwealth Games collapsed on September 21, 2010, a few weeks before the opening ceremony, injuring 27 people. The Delhi Government requested the Indian Army to construct a Bailey bridge to replace it. The 3 Engineer Regiment of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army, finished the job in four days flat and at a fraction of the original cost.