Every city should have a great piece of symbolic architecture. In Paris it's the Eiffel Tower; in New York, the Empire State Building; in Rotterdam it's the Erasmus bridge. This cable-stay bridge links the northern and southern halves of the city with a 2,600-foot span in spectacular style. The bridge deck is supported by steel cables slung over a pylon that is bent to counter the forces of tension. Traffic passes underneath the 456-foot pylon as it straddles the roadway. The structure is called "the Swan" by locals because of its graceful posture over the water. The Erasmus Bridge is such a dramatic departure in bridge building that it has even become part of the city's official logo. Queen Beatrix, herself, officially opened the bridge in September, 1996. Shortly thereafter a problem was discovered with the web of cables. They had a habit of vibrating when the wind and rain are just right. The problem was corrected with stronger shock dampeners.

Photograph courtesy of Frank van Wensveen.