What type of bridge did Leonardo da Vinci design to rotate for ships?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a revolving bridge that could rotate to allow ships to pass. The concept combined a movable bridge deck with a pivoting mechanism, making it possible to clear a waterway without dismantling the crossing.

Leonardo developed the design during his work on civil and military engineering. The bridge could be turned from one side of the channel to the other and then returned for people or vehicles to cross. Its operation depended on a pivot and supporting structure rather than on lifting the entire span vertically.

A revolving bridge differs from a drawbridge, which normally pivots upward, and from a swing bridge, a later term commonly used for similar horizontal movement. Leonardo’s design is valued as an example of Renaissance mechanical planning, even though surviving drawings do not prove that he constructed the bridge himself.