i) Economic span: The span for which the total cost of the bridge is minimum is known as economical span of a bridge.
ii) Afflux: It is the rise in water surface caused due to the obstruction by the bridge in the flow of water.
Or
The heading up of the water above its normal level while passing under the bridge is called afflux.
iii) Waterway: The sectional area at the site of a bridge through which water flows is termed as waterway.
iv) Free board: It is the difference between the HFL after allowing the afflux, if any, and the lowest point on the underside of the bridge super structure is called free board.