Last week's answer

Question: Completed in 1932, the iconic Bixby Creek Bridge along California's steep Highway 1 coastline features a massive 240-foot reinforced concrete arch spanning 260 feet above the gorge. Before crews could pour a single pound of concrete for the arch itself, what incredible temporary structural feat did carpenters have to build over the abyss?

Answer: A giant, 240-foot-tall timber falsework frame constructed entirely out of local Redwood, built to temporarily support the immense weight of the curing concrete arch.

The falsework was constructed with 300,000 feet of timber and took two months to complete. It was built to shape the arch and form the wet concrete. The materials were brought in by truck on the narrow, one-way road with numerous hairpin turns.

Sources: Monterey County Historical Society, Visit California