Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Lovely Arches



I drive regularly under a pair of bridges, one for the Chuo Expressway and the other for the JR train line, not too far from my home. As you can see in the photos, they are made of iron or steel and painted green. I imagine they were built in the 60s or 70s but I could be wrong about this. Not much to write home about. Unless you are me.





I have always had a thing for feats of structural engineering. There is something so beautiful about a form that is so efficient. Yet for years, I barely batted an eye at these bridges. That is, until I walked beneath them. How differently we see when on foot. I had never noticed the care or craft embodied in their metalwork. Just look at those rivets! And what lovely arches. They are text book perfect.