 The Park's Gap Bridge, Berkeley County, West Virginia, built in 1892 | |
| Carries | Pedestrians, automobiles, trucks, light rail, heavy rail |
|---|---|
| Span range | Short to medium |
| Material | Timber, iron, steel |
| Movable | No |
| Design effort | Low |
| Falsework required | Yes |
A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridge in the mid to late 1800s.