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There are certain things in life we expect to move. Cars. Elevators. Roller coasters. A bridge carrying thousands of vehicles several hundred feet above the ground is not usually on that list. But bridges move. They expand. They contract. They flex under loads. They react to wind. Some move several inches as temperatures change. And that's not necessarily a problem. In fact, trying to stop a bridge from moving could create a much bigger one. Welcome back to Why Is It Built Like That?, where we'r …

Construction is full of things that look wrong until you understand why they're right. A skyscraper moves in the wind. A bridge has gaps in it. Concrete is intentionally cut after it's poured. Old brick walls let moisture move through them. A crane lifts enormous loads while a giant stack of weight hangs off the other end. Roads buckle when it gets hot. And somewhere along the way, somebody decided manholes should be round. Most of us walk past these things every day without giving them much tho …