INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
rehabilitation works, the provincial tourism chief has said.A budget of 24 billion rials ($80,000) has been allocated to the project,
Mohammad Hossein Arastuzadeh said on Monday.The restoration of the bridge, which is one of the top tourist attractions of the region, is
being carried out under the supervision of experienced restorers and cultural heritage experts, the official added.Best known as the Dezful
bridge, the massive monument on the Dez River is believed to be the oldest still-standing bridge in the world and it remained in full
functionality until recently.The Sassanid-era structure has been extensively repaired and renovated in various eras to ensure its
functionality and preservation
Nowadays, cars are no longer allowed to pass over the structure due to its historical value and fragility.It is said that the monument was
built by Roman prisoners of war after suffering a defeat at the hands of the Sassanid king Shapur I the Great, who reigned over Persia from
around 240-270 CE.An arch bridge carries loads primarily by compression, which experts on the foundation both vertical and horizontal forces
Arch foundations must therefore prevent both vertical settling and horizontal sliding
Despite the more complicated foundation design, the structure itself normally requires less material than a beam bridge of the same
span.Arch bridges can be classified into deck arch bridges (featuring arches below the deck) and through arch bridges (those with arches
above the deck, generally tied arches)
In all arch bridges, structural difficulty can be found in the minimization of the misalignment of the arch axis and the line of thrust, as
well as sufficient bending and buckling resistance
General design recommendations focus principally on the arch-to-span ratio, the arch and deck slenderness, and the number of hangers or
piers.Recent innovative arch bridges include high-speed railway (HSR) bridges, concrete-filled steel tubular and precast concrete arches,
high-performance concrete or ultra-high performance concrete arches, and steel-concrete composite arches, and feature innovative erection
