Before we heard about Historic Bridge Awareness Month, we didn’t think there were any observances that celebrated the bridges carrying people safely across bodies of water in the U.S. Yet, it’s an observance that is observed every November. Now that we think about it, it’s not surprising to have a month dedicated to historic bridges.

After all, bridges preserve history for us in a special way. They not only preserve the engineering skills of people from the past but also preserve important information about a particular location or time in history.

They hold a wealth of information, and that’s why people should not only take note of their value but also take the time to preserve them for future generations to appreciate.

The History of Historic Bridge Awareness Month

This month was created in 2006 by HistoricBridges.org. They created this month to encourage everyone to consider the rich history preserved by bridges and to work towards preserving some of them for future generations to enjoy.

Fun Facts About Bridges for Everyone to Enjoy

We’re willing to bet that 9 out of 10 people probably don’t think too much about bridges unless they’re currently going over one. That’s a shame because bridges are really remarkable pieces of technology. To prove our point, and hopefully ignite some interest in them, we’ve decided to go ahead and list some fun facts about bridges below.

• One of the longest footbridges in the world is the Kurilpa Bridge in Brisbane, Australia.
• Not all bridges span bodies of water. There are bridges created just as observation platforms and bridges that were never finished as well.
• At the east end of Lake Erie is the Peace Bridge. It was constructed in 1927 to commemorate a century of peace between the U.S. and Canada.
• The ancient Romans constructed the Caravan Bridge over the Meles River in Izmir, Turkey. It’s over 3,000 years old and is still in use.

Observing Historic Bridge Awareness Month

There are a few ways to observe this month. One way is to take the time to visit some of the historic bridges that can be found across the U.S. This can be done simply enough by visiting HistoricBridges.org and doing a local search for bridges.

Another way to observe this month is to take the time to preserve some of the historic bridges that are in need of being saved. And the final way for people to observe this month is to take the time to spread the news about it using the hashtag #HistoricBridgeAwarenessMonth on social media.