500 Years Later, Scientists Prove That Leonardo da Vinci’s Bridge Design Works
(www.popularmechanics.com)
That was basically just the process of creating bridges back then, it's not far off from how it works today...
I don't think that was an avoidable issue, you need to build temporary support structures while bridge building is in progress. In other words, if an extensive support structure is a deal breaker for you, it turns out you're not building a bridge today.