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   The team must build strong abutments that will prevent the bridge from sinking into the river's soft muddy banks. The first job is to build a dam. Woven strips of bamboo are put into place to give the dam shape. The men shovel in clay to make a watertight barrier. When this dam is complete, water is bailed from the space where the abutment will be built. The men pound 36 piles a full six feet into the sub-soil. Previous Next NOVA Builds a Rainbow Bridge | Bridge the Gap | Nature's Miracle Material China's Age of Invention | Resources | Transcript Medieval Siege | Pharaoh's Obelisk | Easter Island | Roman Bath | China Bridge | Site Map Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 |