熊本県における歴史的コンクリートアーチ橋の評価

抄録

Many famous arch-type bridges have been constructed in Kumamoto Prefecture in the past. The well-known existing masonry arch bridges in Kumamoto such as Tsuujyun Bridge, Reidai Bridge, etc. were built about 150 years ago. These bridges were significant milestones in the general development of bridge structures in the history of Civil Engineering in Japan. However, it is little known that more than 20 concrete arch bridges, which may be called the next generation of the masonry arch, had been constructed in Kumamoto beween 1925-1955. Also there are very few records or papers with regard to their historical study. For this reason the writers started investigations on the unreported and aged bridges of Kumamoto Prefecture. In this paper, the processes of construction of these bridges have been analyzed and an attempt is made to evaluate their historical meaning. As a result, it is concluded that these concrete arch bridges can be treated as bridges with significant historical importance.