Cantilever, << KAN tuh `lee` vuhr, >> is a structure that is supported at one end by a downward force. The other end projects into space without support. Many canopies, theater balconies, and some construction cranes are built as cantilevers. They eliminate the need for supporting columns. A cantilever bridge commonly has two towers, or piers, on opposite sides of the river. Each pier supports part of a roadway anchored on the bank at one end. The rest of both roadways project out to the middle of the river, where they are joined. Each half of the bridge is an independent cantilever, standing without support from the other.
