page_title: Deck (bridge)
section_title: Railway bridge decks
hierarchical_section_title: Deck (bridge) / Railway bridge decks
caption_attribution_description: English: Columbus and Greenville Railway bridge over Yazoo River, Leflore County, Mississippi.
context_page_description: A deck is the surface of a bridge. A structural element of its superstructure, it may be constructed of concrete, steel, open grating, or wood. Sometimes the deck is covered a railroad bed and track, asphalt concrete, or other form of pavement for ease of vehicle crossing. A concrete deck may be an integral part of the bridge structure or it may be supported with I-beams or steel girders.
  When a bridge deck is installed in a through truss, it is sometimes called a floor system. A suspended bridge deck will be suspended from the main structural elements on a suspension or arch bridge. On some bridges, such as a tied-arch or a cable-stayed, the deck is a primary structural element, carrying tension or compression to support the span.
context_section_description: A railway bridge with its track and ties supported on load carrying elements of the superstructure (floor beams, stringers or girders) is called an open deck. When the track rests upon ballast, which is then carried by the superstructure of the bridge, it is called a ballasted deck. The term direct fixation is used when the rails are anchored directly to the superstructure of the bridge.
caption: An open-deck railway bridge in Leflore County, Mississippi
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