A 'tubular bridge' is a
bridge built as a rigid
box girder section within which the traffic is carried. Famous examples include the original
Britannia Bridge over the
Menai Strait and the
Conwy railway bridge over the
River Conwy, both designed and built by
Robert Stephenson between
1846 and
1850.
In the case of the Britannia Bridge this technology allowed a bridge 1511-ft long to be constructed, when until then the longest wrought iron span had been 31 ft 6 inches.

Section of the original wrought-iron tubular
Britannia Bridge standing in front of the modern bridge
See also
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Box girder bridge - a similar bridge that carries the traffic atop the box.
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Covered bridge - a type which may employ a variety of structures but which also encloses the traffic (for the protection of the bridge)
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Jetway - a movable bridge that carries pedestrians from a terminal to an aircraft.
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Skyway - a bridge connecting buildings at an elevation above the ground