What type of bridge did Leonardo da Vinci design with a rotating section for crossing waterways?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a revolving bridge with a section that could rotate to open a waterway.

The bridge belongs to Leonardo’s studies of civil and military engineering. A revolving span could provide a crossing when closed and then turn aside when boats needed to pass. The design aimed to combine transport, controlled access, and efficient use of space without requiring the entire bridge to be dismantled.

A revolving bridge differs from a drawbridge. A drawbridge normally lifts or pivots upward, while a revolving bridge turns horizontally around a vertical or near-vertical support. Leonardo’s drawings show his interest in mechanisms that could move substantial structures through carefully arranged pivots, supports, and counterbalancing elements.

The design is part of a broader group of bridges in Leonardo’s notebooks, including portable and self-supporting forms. Because the drawings are proposals rather than records of completed construction, modern descriptions should avoid claiming that Leonardo built this bridge. His contribution was the detailed mechanical exploration of a movable crossing.