There are very few bridges with buildings in the world. This list attempts to identify all the existing ones and notable former ones featuring significant closed commercial, residential, governmental, or religious worship structures. There exist numerous proposals for inhabited bridges, including 73 designs submitted in the Royal Institute of British Architects' competition at the 800th anniversary of London Bridge, but the table here presents only bridges actually built. Various blogs and magazines itemize a small number of them. Many bridges include pavilions or other shelters serving pedestrians crossing the bridge, without providing commercial, residential, governmental, or religious worship space; these are not included.

Some covered or roofed bridges, such as Pont de Rohan, in Landerneau, and the Pont des Marchands, in Narbonne, both in France, have residential buildings; these two are among at least 45 inhabited bridges in Europe. Other covered bridges in Germany, the United States, and elsewhere might be seen as "buildings" in that their roof protects an enclosed area, but the purpose of the covering is to preserve the structure and the enclosed space is primarily for traffic to pass through. The term "covered bridges" is also used for structures in China such as Chengyang Bridge (1912) and Xijin Bridge (rebuilt 1718) which have large enclosed spaces, but for these it appears that space is not provided for commercial or residential use.

The term "covered bridge" is sometimes used broadly to describe any "bridge-like structure" that is covered by a roof. However, bridge-like structures such as Heilig-Geist-Spital, a hospital built out over two arched spans into the Pegnitz river in Nuremberg, but which did not ever provide a complete crossing to the other side, are not included, nor are certain other bridge-like structures that provide complete spans but are not open to the public for crossing.

Bridges having buildings (with significant commercial, residential, governmental, or religious worship space) include:

Australia Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Walter Taylor Bridge Brisbane, Queensland Suspension bridge across Brisbane River Opened 1936 Included residential space for "bridge-keeper" and family, no longer in use. Asserted to be the only habitable bridge in the southern hemisphere.

Bulgaria Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Covered Bridge, Lovech Lovech

Canada Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Esplanade Riel Winnipeg, Manitoba Red River of the North 2004 Side-spar cable-stayed bridge with restaurant

China Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Anshun Bridge Chengdu, Sichuan Jin River 13th century; 1746; 2003 Arch bridge with restaurant Five-Pavilion Bridge Yangzhou, Jiangsu Slender West Lake 1757 Arch bridge with pavilions

Czech Republic Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Stříbro bridge Stříbro, Tachov District Crosses Mže River One of five towers survives. Cloak Bridge of Český Krumlov Castle Český Krumlov

England Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Frome bridge River Frome 23 May 1983 High Bridge, Lincoln Lincoln, England River Witham 1160 The current row of timber framed shops on the west side of the bridge dates from about 1550. "Old" London Bridge Thames river, London 1209–1831 The number of houses on the bridge reached a maximum of 140. Many of the houses were later merged, into 91. In the seventeenth century, almost all had four or five storeys. All the houses were shops, and the bridge was one of the City of London's four or five main shopping streets. The three major buildings on the bridge were the chapel, the drawbridge tower and the stone gate. The drawbridge tower was where the severed heads of traitors were exhibited. “Old” Newcastle Bridge Tyne river, Newcastle 1248–1771 On the site of the current Newcastle Swing Bridge, the medieval bridge was swept away in the Great Flood of Newcastle in 1771. Pulteney Bridge Bath, SomersetRiver Avon, BristolBuilt 1769–1774 Old Exe Bridge Exeter, Devon River Exe (originally) c.1200–1778 ruins are among England's oldest surviving bridge works St Ives Bridge St Ives, Cambridgeshire Great Ouse in St Ives, Cambridgeshire 1400s One of four bridges in England having a chapel. Chapel space was a bawdy house in 1700s. Rotherham Bridge Rotherham One of four bridges in England having a chapel Chantry Bridge, or Wakefield Bridge Wakefield 14th-century, nine-arched, stone bridge One of four bridges in England having a chapel Town Bridge, Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon One of four bridges in England having a chapel Has a lock-up.

France

"Between 12th and 16th century many bridges were built with houses on them. They were solution for limited accommodation in walled cities and only France had as many as 35."

Ponts Couverts, Strasbourg, a covered bridge in Strasbourg, has four massive towers that are buildings, but these are on islands not the bridge itself. (See :File:Panorama de Strasbourg - 2014-02-02- P1760351 - P1760357.jpg)

Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Pont d'Avignon, or Pont Saint-Bénézet Avignon Rhône Built 1177–1185 Has Chapel of Saint Nicholas Pont Valentré Cahors Arch bridge with six spans, crosses Lot Built 1308–1378 Château de Chenonceau Loire Valley Cher 1514–1559 Pont des Marchands Narbonne, Aude Canal de la Robine Segmental arch bridge with one (once six) span Pont de Rohan Landerneau, Brittany Crosses the Élorn until 1930 and the construction of the Pont Albert Louppe near Brest. Barrage Vauban Strasbourg bridge crosses Ill Opened in 1690 Pont Ambroix Ambrussum, Languedoc-Roussillon Stone arch bridge which carried the Roman road Via Domitia across the Vidourle; only one of its 11 arches survives; 1st century BC. During the High Middle Ages, a chapel devoted to St Mary was added.

Germany Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Krämerbrücke Erfurt, Thuringia segmental stone arch bridge crosses Gera x 1325 (stone bridge); 1486 (houses) Alte Nahebrücke (Bad Kreuznach) Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate Nahe river c. 1300/1956 (bridge); 1612 (houses) Stone arch bridge, x Amberg, Bavaria Vils The "Stadtbrille" (literally: town spectacles) bridge was part of the town's fortifications, and its arches reflected on the river resemble a pair of spectacles. Innere Brücke Esslingen am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg Neckar

Italy Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Ponte Vecchio, Florence Florence Crosses Arno River Closed-spandrel segmental stone arch bridge with main span Rialto Bridge Venice Stone arch bridge with span over Grand Canal wide Ponte Coperto Pavia Crosses Ticino River long. Bridge of 1354 and 1949-51 replacement have a chapel.Ponte Vecchio, BassanoBassano del GrappaCrosses Brenta (river)

Spain Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Puente Nuevo Ronda Crosses Guadalevín River in El Tajo gorge. Built 1759–1793 Chamber above central arch has been used as a prison, including during Spanish Civil War

Switzerland Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Spreuerbrücke Lucerne crosses Reuss

Turkey Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Irgandı Bridge Bursa crosses Gökdere Constantine's Bridge Mysia completed after 258 AD Only ruins remain. Crossed Rhyndacus (Adırnas Çayı) In Byzantine times, had chapel created by Helena, mother of Constantine I

United States

Bridge Image Location River Dates Note Main Street Bridge Rochester, New York Genesee River 1857 The buildings were removed in the mid-1960's. Earlier bridges at this site also had buildings.

Vietnam

Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Chùa Cầu, or Japanese Bridge Hội An, Quảng Nam Has a small temple, Bac De Tran Vu, which worships a Chinese general, also known as Huyen Thien Dai De.

Wales

Bridge Image Location RiverDates Note Monnow Bridge Monmouth, Wales River Monnow c.1272 A central tower, variously used as a gaol, garrison, toll-house and museum. The only surviving such bridge-tower in Britain.

See also Bridge castle List of lists of covered bridges in North America

References