The physical extension of the roadway across the obstruction to be bridged is called the ____.

• A. Bridge deck
• B. Bridge deck system
• C. Roadbed
• D. Deck slab

Answer: (A)

The extension that carries traffic across a gap is the bridge deck. It forms the riding surface that spans from one support to the other, distributing vehicle loads into the supporting girders or arches beneath. While a deck system includes additional elements like waterproofing, drainage, and railing, and a deck slab is one part of the decking, the term that best describes the entire roadway crossing the obstruction is the bridge deck. Roadbed is a term more commonly used for the ground-level roadway surface, not the spanning element of a bridge.