This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge, the suspended-deck type.

For an index to the several types see suspension bridge types.

For the Gladiators event, see Suspension Bridge (Gladiators). Suspension Bridge is an event played in several incarnations of the television series Gladiators.

Suspension bridge
An early bridge of this type, the Clifton Suspension Bridge
Ancestor:	Simple suspension bridge
Related:	None, but see also cable stayed bridge and compression arch suspended-deck bridge
Descendant:	Self-anchored suspension bridge
Carries:	Pedestrians, automobiles, trucks, light rail
Span range:	Medium to long
Material:	Steel rope, multiple steel wire strand cables or forged or cast chain links
Movable:	No
Design effort:	medium
Falsework required:	No

A suspension bridge is a type of bridge where the main load-bearing elements are hung from suspension cables. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a Suspension bridge, spanning the Avon Gorge and linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the simple suspension type A A compression arch suspended-deck bridge, or through arch bridge, is a Bridge made from modern materials such as steel or reinforced concrete in which a This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the self-anchored type A pedestrian is a person travelling on foot whether Walking or Running. This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. For specific light rail systems many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name see List of light-rail transit systems. Wire rope consists of several strands laid (or 'twisted' together like a helix Falsework consists of temporary structures used in Construction to support spanning or arched structures in order to hold the component in place until its construction is sufficiently A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water A cable is one or more Wires or Optical fibers bound together typically in a common protective jacket or sheath While modern suspension bridges with level decks date from the early 19th century, earlier types are reported from the 3rd century BC. Simple suspension bridges, for use by pedestrians and livestock, are still constructed, based upon the ancient Inca rope bridge. This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the simple suspension type A pedestrian is a person travelling on foot whether Walking or Running. Inca rope bridges were Simple suspension bridges over canyons and gorges ( pongos ' to provide access for the Inca Empire.

Suspended well from two high locations over a river or canyon, simple suspension bridges follow a shallow downward arc and are not suited for modern roads and railroads. Advances in materials and design led to the development of the suspended-deck suspension bridge, a modern bridge capable of carrying vehicles and light rail. Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. For specific light rail systems many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name see List of light-rail transit systems. Instead of the deck following the downward arc of the main load-bearing cables (or chains), these cables are suspended between towers, and vertical suspender cables carry the weight of the deck below, upon which traffic crosses. A cable is one or more Wires or Optical fibers bound together typically in a common protective jacket or sheath This arrangement allows the deck to be level or to arc slightly upward for additional clearance.

The suspension cables must be anchored at each end of the bridge, since any load applied to the bridge is transformed into a tension in these main cables. The main cables continue beyond the pillars to deck-level supports, and further continue to connections with anchors in the ground. The roadway is supported by vertical suspender cables or rods, called hangers. In some circumstances the towers may sit on a bluff or canyon edge where the road may proceed directly to the main span, otherwise the bridge will usually have two smaller spans, running between either pair of pillars and the highway, which may be supported by suspender cables or may use a truss bridge to make this connection. In the latter case there will be very little arc in the outboard main cables.

History

The suspension bridge is one of the oldest types of bridge. Early simple, or catenary, suspension bridges consisted of three or more cables made from vines, where people walked directly on the ropes to cross. A cable is one or more Wires or Optical fibers bound together typically in a common protective jacket or sheath A vine is any plant of Genus Vitis (the Grape plants or by extension any similar climbing or trailing plant Simple suspension bridges with decking made from planks resting on two cables date back at least to 285BC^[1] in China, and other bridges of similar type are recorded in Tibet. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Seven bridges of this type were reportedly built in China in 95BC at Chengdu by Li Bing. ( located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan province and a Sub-provincial city. Li Bing ( c 3rd century BCE) was a Chinese administrator and engineer of the Warring States period ^[1] A Chinese multi-span simple suspension bridge with bamboo cables is reported at Quan-Xian, documented from 960AD and possibly dating back to the 3rd century BC. Bamboo is a group of Woody perennial Evergreen Plants in the True grass family Poaceae, subfamily ^[1]

Simple suspension bridges using iron chains are also documented in China and the Himalayas, although their earliest date is unclear. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 A chain is a series of connected links. This article is about the literal physical chain One example, the Luding Bridge, dates from 1703, spanning 100 m using eleven iron chains. Luding Bridge ( is a bridge over the Dadu River in Luding County, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China located about 80 ^[1] Several are attributed to Tibetan monk Thang-stong rGyal-po, who reportedly built several in Tibet and Bhutan in the 15th century, including one at Chuka. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Chuka is a Village in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies at an Altitude of 4095 Metres (13435 feet) ^[1] Claims that more modern suspension bridges with a horizontal deck also originated in Tibet or China remain largely unsubstantiated.

Finly's Jacob's Creek bridge

The first design for a bridge resembling the modern suspension bridge in the West is attributed to Faust Verantius, whose 1595 book “Machinae Novae” included drawings both for a timber and rope suspension bridge, and a hybrid suspension and cable-stayed bridge using iron chains. Faust Vrančić (1551 Šibenik – January 17 1617) was a Croatian humanist Philosopher, Historian, Diplomat A However, the first such bridge actually built was James Finley’s iron chain bridge at Jacob’s Creek, in Pennsylvania, in 1801. James Finley (1762 - 1828 aka Judge James Finley, is widely recognised as the first designer and builder of the modern Suspension bridge. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern This was widely publicised from 1810 onwards, beginning a period of rapid development of the modern suspension bridge.

Early British chain bridges included the Dryburgh Abbey Bridge (1817) and 137 m Union Bridge (1820), with spans rapidly increasing to 176 m with the Menai Suspension Bridge (1826). Dryburgh Suspension Bridge, near Dryburgh Abbey, Borders, Scotland, is a 19th century Suspension bridge between the villages of Dryburgh The Union Bridge, also called the Chain Bridge, spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland, England and Fishwick The Menai Suspension Bridge, or Pont Grog y Borth in Welsh, is a Suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales The Clifton Suspension Bridge shown above (designed in 1831, completed in 1864 with a 214 m central span) is one of the longest of the parabolic arc chain type. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a Suspension bridge, spanning the Avon Gorge and linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in

Development of wire cable suspension bridges dates to the temporary simple suspension bridge at Annonay built by Marc Seguin and his brothers in 1822. Annonay is a commune in the north of the Ardèche department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southern France. Marc Seguin ( April 20, 1786 - February 24, 1875) was a French Engineer, Inventor of the Wire - It spanned only 18 m. ^[1] The first permanent wire cable suspension bridge was Guillaume Henri Dufour’s Saint Antoine Bridge in Geneva of 1823, with two 40 m spans. Guillaume-Henri Dufour ( 15 September 1787, Konstanz - 14 July 1875, Geneva) was a Swiss General Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking ^[1] The first with cables assembled in mid-air in the modern method was Joseph Chaley’s Grand Pont Suspendu in Fribourg, in 1834. Joseph Chaley ( 1795 - April 15, 1861) was a French Civil engineer and a pioneer designer of Suspension bridges in the 19th Fribourg ( French) (Freiburg or de Freiburg im [[Üechtland]], often Fribourg) is the capital of the Swiss canton of ^[1]

Structural behavior

Structural analysis

The main forces in a suspension bridge are tension in the main cables and compression in the pillars. In Physics, a force is whatever can cause an object with Mass to Accelerate. In Physics String Tension is the magnitude of the pulling force exerted by a string cable chain or similar object on another object Physical compression is the result of the subjection of a material to Compressive stress, resulting in reduction of Volume. Since almost all the force on the pillars is vertically downwards and they are also stabilized by the main cables, the pillars can be made quite slender, and they have been in, for example, the Severn Bridge, near Bristol, England

The slender lines of the Severn Bridge

Assuming a negligible weight as compared to the weight of the deck and vehicles being supported, a suspension bridge’s main cables will form a parabola (very similar to a catenary, the form the unloaded cables take before the deck is added). For the Ontario community see Severn Bridge Ontario Not to be confused with Second Severn Crossing The Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For the Ontario community see Severn Bridge Ontario Not to be confused with Second Severn Crossing The In Mathematics, the parabola (pəˈræbələ from the Greek παραβολή) is a Conic section, the intersection of a right circular In Physics and Geometry, the catenary is the theoretical Shape of a hanging flexible Chain or Cable when supported at its ends and This can be seen from the cable’s constant gradient increase with linear (deck) distance, this increase in gradient at each connection with the deck providing a net upward support force. Combined with the relatively simple constraints placed upon the actual deck, this makes the suspension bridge much simpler to design and analyze than a cable-stayed bridge, where the deck is in compression. A

Advantages over other bridge types

A suspension bridge can be made out of simple materials such as wood and common wire rope.

• Longer main spans are achievable than with any other type of bridge
• Less material may be required than other bridge types, even at spans those can achieve, leading to a reduced construction cost
• Except for installation of the initial temporary cables, little access from below is required during construction, for example allowing a waterway to remain open while the bridge is built above
• May be better able to withstand seismic movements than heavier and more rigid bridges

Disadvantages compared with other bridge types

• Considerable stiffness or aerodynamic profiling may be required to prevent the bridge deck vibrating under high winds
• The relatively low deck stiffness compared to other types makes it more difficult to carry heavy rail traffic where high concentrated live loads occur
• Some access below may be required during construction, to lift the initial cables or to lift deck units. Seismology (from Greek grc σεισμός seismos, "earthquake" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of Earthquakes This access can often be avoided in cable-stayed bridge construction

Variations

Underspanned suspension bridge

Micklewood Bridge as illustrated by Charles Drewry, 1832

In an underspanned suspension bridge, the main cables hang entirely below the bridge deck, but are still anchored into the ground in a similar way to the conventional type. A Very few bridges of this nature have been built, as the deck is inherently less stable than when suspended below the cables. Examples include the Pont des Bergues of 1834 designed by Guillaume Henri Dufour^[1]; James Smith’s Micklewood Bridge ^[2]; and a proposal by Robert Stevenson for a bridge over the River Almond near Edinburgh^[2]. Guillaume-Henri Dufour ( 15 September 1787, Konstanz - 14 July 1875, Geneva) was a Swiss General Robert Stevenson (8 June 1772&ndash12 July 1850 was a Scottish Civil engineer and famed designer and builder of Lighthouses Early life Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.

Suspension cable types

Suspension cables of Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean

The main suspension cable in older bridges was often made from chain or linked bars, but modern bridge cables are made from multiple strands of wire. This is for greater redundancy; a few flawed strands in the hundreds used pose very little threat, whereas a single bad link or eyebar can cause failure of the entire bridge. In Structural engineering and construction an eyebar is a straight bar usually of Metal, with a hole ("eye" at each end for fixing to other components This was found to be the cause of the collapse of the Silver Bridge over the Ohio river. The Silver Bridge was an Eyebar Chain Suspension bridge built in 1928 and was named for the color of its Aluminum paint The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. Another reason is that as spans increased, engineers were unable to lift larger chains into position, whereas parallel-strand cables can be largely prepared in mid-air.

Deck structure types

A plate deck suspension bridge over the Yangtze River in China

Most suspension bridges have open truss structures to support the roadbed (particularly owing to the unfavorable effects of using plate girders, discovered accidentally from the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse). China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Recent developments in bridge aerodynamics have allowed the re-introduction of plate structures. In the illustration to the right, note the very sharp entry edge and sloping undergirders in the suspension bridge shown. This enables this type of construction to be used without the danger of vortex shedding and consequent aeroelastic effects, such as those that destroyed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of mile-long Suspension bridges in the U

Use other than road and rail

Cable-suspended footbridge at Dallas Fort Worth Airport Terminal D

The principles of suspension used on the large scale may also appear in contexts less dramatic than road or rail bridges. Light cable suspension may prove less expensive and seem more elegant for a footbridge than strong girder supports. Where such a bridge spans a gap between two buildings, there is no need to construct special towers, as the buildings can anchor the cables. Cable suspension may also be augmented by the inherent stiffness of a structure that has much in common with a Tubular bridge. A tubular bridge is a Bridge built as a rigid Box girder section within which the traffic is carried

Construction sequence (wire strand cable type)

New Little Belt suspension bridge, 1970 Denmark

• Where the towers are founded on underwater piers, caissons are sunk and any soft bottom is excavated for a foundation. The Little Belt (Lillebælt is a Strait between the Danish island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe In Geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining watertight structure used for example to work on the foundations of a Bridge pier, If the bedrock is too deep to be exposed by excavation or the sinking of a caisson, pilings are driven to the bedrock or into overlying hard soil, or a large concrete pad to distribute the weight over less resistant soil may be constructed, first preparing the surface with a bed of compacted gravel. Bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet usually the Earth. (Such a pad footing can also accommodate the movements of an active earthquake fault, and this has been implemented on the foundations of the cable-stayed Rio-Antirio bridge. In Geology a fault, or fault line, is a planar rock fracture which shows evidence of relative movement A The foundation piers are then extended to above water level.
• Where the towers are founded on dry land, deep foundation excavation or pilings are used.
• From the tower foundation, towers of single or multiple columns are erected using concrete, stonework, or steel structures. At some elevation there must be a passage for the deck, with the columns extending high above this level.
• Smooth open cable paths called saddles are anchored atop the towers. These allow for slight movements of the cable as the loads change during construction. The top of these saddles may be closed with an additional part after completion of the bridge.
• Anchorages are constructed to resist the tension of the cables. These are usually anchored in good quality rock, but may consist of massive reinforced concrete deadweights within an excavation. The anchorage structure will have multiple protruding open eyebolts enclosed within a secure space.
• A temporary suspended walkway supported by wire rope follows the curve of the cables to be constructed, mathematically described as a catenary arc. A rope is a length of Fibers twisted or Braided together to improve strength for pulling and Connecting. In Physics and Geometry, the catenary is the theoretical Shape of a hanging flexible Chain or Cable when supported at its ends and

Manhattan Bridge in New York City with deck under construction from the towers outward. The Manhattan Bridge is a Suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan (at Canal Street with The City of New York

• Another set of wire ropes are suspended above the walkway and are used to support a traveler that has wheels riding atop these cables. There will be one set of wire ropes and a traveler for each cable to be “spun”.
• Pulling cables attached to winches are capable of pulling the traveler from one anchorage to the other, traveling in arcs to the tops of the two towers.
• High strength wire, typically less than 10 mm in diameter, is pulled in a loop by pulleys on the traveler, with one end affixed at an anchorage. Workers stationed along the walkway attach the passing cable to a bundle with a temporary binding. When the traveler reaches the opposite anchorage the loop is placed over an open anchor eyebar. In Structural engineering and construction an eyebar is a straight bar usually of Metal, with a hole ("eye" at each end for fixing to other components
• The traveler is returned to the start point to pick up another loop or it is used to carry a new loop from this side.
• As loops are placed, corrosion proofing may be applied.
• In this way a complete sub-cable is created linking the eyebar (or a set of eyebars) from one anchorage to the other. The sub-cables will have a hexagonal cross section and are held together with the temporary bindings.
• Multiple adjacent sub-cables are placed adjacent to each other. While these are on a hexagonal grid, the general form for the larger cable is circular.
• The entire cable is then compressed by a traveling hydraulic press into a closely packed cylinder and tightly wrapped with additional wire to form the final circular cross section.
• Saddles to carry the suspender cables are clamped to the main cables, each with an appropriate shape to conform to the ultimate slope of the main cables. Each saddle is an equal horizontal distance from the next, with spacing appropriate to the design of the deck.
• Suspender cables engineered and cut to precise lengths and carrying swedged ends are looped over the saddles. In some bridges, where the towers are close to or on the shore, the suspender cables may be applied only to the central span.

Lions' Gate Bridge with deck under construction from the span's center

• Special lifting hosts attached to the suspenders or from the main cables are used to lift prefabricated sections of bridge deck to the proper level, provided that the local conditions allow the sections to be carried below the bridge by barge or other means, otherwise a traveling cantilever may be used to extend the deck one section at a time. Lions' Gate Bridge, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a Suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects A cantilever is a beam supported on only one end The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and Shear stress. If the addition of the deck structure extends from the towers the finished portions of the deck will pitch upward rather sharply, as there is no downward force in the center of the span. Upon completion of the deck the added load will pull the main cables into an arc mathematically described as a parabola, while the arc of the deck will be as the designer intended — usually a gentle upward arc for added clearance if over a shipping channel, or flat in other cases such as a span over a canyon. In Mathematics, the parabola (pəˈræbələ from the Greek παραβολή) is a Conic section, the intersection of a right circular
• With completion of the primary structure various details such as lighting, handrails, finish painting and paving are added.

Golden Gate Bridge details gallery

Demonstration section of main cable showing component wires

Main cable seat at top of tower

Suspender cables and saddle on main cable

The longest suspension bridge spans in the world

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge between Akashi and Awaji Island, Japan

Main article: List of longest suspension bridge spans

Suspension bridge are typically ranked by the length of their main span. The, also known as Marcus Bridge in Japan was completed in 1998 and is the world's longest Suspension bridge (measured by the length of the center span of) is a city located in southern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the Inland Sea west of Kobe. is an Island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea between the islands of Honshū and Shikoku Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of suspension bridges

1. Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (Japan), 1991 m — 1998
2. Xihoumen Bridge (China), 1650 m — 2007
3. Great Belt Bridge (Denmark), 1624 m — 1998
4. Runyang Bridge (China), 1490 m — 2005
5. Humber Bridge (England, United Kingdom), 1410 m — 1981. The, also known as Marcus Bridge in Japan was completed in 1998 and is the world's longest Suspension bridge (measured by the length of the center span of) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Xihoumen Bridge is a Suspension bridge built on the Zhoushan Archipelago, the largest offshore island group in China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Great Belt Fixed Link (Storebæltsforbindelsen is the Fixed link between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen across the Great Belt The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The Runyang Bridge ( is a large Bridge complex that crosses the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province China, downstream of Nanjing. The Humber Bridge is the fifth-largest single-span Suspension bridge in the world near Kingston upon Hull in England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located (The longest span from 1981 until 1998. )
6. Jiangyin Suspension Bridge (China), 1385 m — 1997
7. Tsing Ma Bridge (China), 1377 m — 1997 (longest span with both road and metro)
8. Verrazano Narrows Bridge (USA), 1298 m — 1964. The Jiangyin Suspension Bridge is the most seaward Bridge to cross the Yangtze River of China. Tsing Ma Bridge is a Bridge in Hong Kong, China. It is the world's seventh-longest span Suspension bridge. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked Suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (The longest span from 1964 until 1981. )
9. Golden Gate Bridge (USA), 1280 m — 1937. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean (The longest span from 1937 until 1964. )
10. Yangluo Bridge (China), 1280 m — 2007

Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, connecting Europe (left) and Asia (right) . You can see Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in the background. The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge (in Turkish: Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprüsü, F

The Humber Bridge, UK

Tsing Ma Bridge, Hong Kong

The Strait of Messina Bridge, with a center span of 3300 m, was planned to connect Italy and Sicily but was cancelled shortly before construction was set to begin. The Humber Bridge is the fifth-largest single-span Suspension bridge in the world near Kingston upon Hull in England. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Tsing Ma Bridge is a Bridge in Hong Kong, China. It is the world's seventh-longest span Suspension bridge. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders The Strait of Messina Bridge is a planned Suspension bridge that would cross the Strait of Messina, a narrow section of Water between the eastern tip Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Bridges have also been suggested for the Strait of Gibraltar and the Sunda Strait with longest spans of several kilometres. The Strait of Gibraltar ( Arabic: مضيق جبل طارق Spanish: Estrecho de Gibraltar) is the Strait that connects the Atlantic The Sunda Strait ( Indonesian: Selat Sunda) is the Strait between the Indonesian Islands of Java and the island of Sumatra The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The suspension cables for these longest bridges are suspended from the ends of cable-stayed ties extending diagonally from tall pylons, also called towers.

Other famous suspension bridges

See also: History of longest vehicle suspension bridge spans. Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of suspension bridges

• Union Bridge (England/Scotland), 137 m — 1820. The Union Bridge, also called the Chain Bridge, spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland, England and Fishwick The longest span from 1820 to 1826. The oldest in the world still in use today.
• Royal Albert Bridge (1859) where the anchors are replaced by an arch between the columns. The Royal Albert Bridge (sometimes called the Brunel Bridge or Saltash Bridge) spans the River Tamar in the United Kingdom between An arch is a structure that spans a space while supporting weight (e
• Bear Mountain Bridge (USA), 497 m — 1924. The Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll Suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U The longest span from 1924 to 1926. The first suspension bridge to have a concrete deck. The construction methods pioneered in building it would make possible several much larger projects to follow.
• Royal Gorge Bridge (USA) 1929 The highest (384 m) suspension bridge in the world. The Royal Gorge Bridge is a Tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado, within a 360 Acre (1
• San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (California, USA), 704 m — 1936. The western portion is two complete two tower bridges end-to-end with a central anchorage, required to avoid dynamic interactions between three main spans between the four towers. Until recently, this was the longest steel high-level bridge in the world. ^[3] The eastern portion (a cantilever bridge) is currently being replaced with a self-anchored suspension bridge which will be the longest of its type in the world. A cantilever bridge is a Bridge built using Cantilevers structures that project horizontally into space supported on only one end As of December 2007 work is continuing on the eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the self-anchored type
• Tacoma Narrows Bridge (USA), 853 m — 1950 & 2007. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of mile-long Suspension bridges in the U The largest twin suspension bridge in the world.

Infamous suspension bridges

• The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Fictional)
• Silver Bridge, a 1928 eyebar chain bridge that collapsed in 1967, killing forty-six people. The Bridge of San Luis Rey is American author Thornton Wilder 's second novel first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim The Silver Bridge was an Eyebar Chain Suspension bridge built in 1928 and was named for the color of its Aluminum paint
• Tacoma Narrows Bridge, (USA), 853 m — 1940. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of mile-long Suspension bridges in the U The Tacoma Narrows are prone to sustained and moderately strong winds, with which the bridge had a tendency to resonate (owing to its unique plate-girder deck structure and ultimately its nickname “The Galloping Gertie”). Narrowsjpg|thumb|277px|right|The Tacoma Narrows as viewed from Tacoma facing northwest towards the Kitsap Peninsula Wind is the flow of Air or other Gases that compose an Atmosphere (including but not limited to the Earth's) This led to its collapse only months after completion. The collapse was captured on film.

Picture Gallery

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge at night	25 de Abril Bridge in Lisbon, Portugal	A suspension bridge falls: Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses	The Ambassador Bridge — Longest suspension bridge from 1929–1931.
New York’s famous Brooklyn Bridge	San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge under construction	Driving on the 2nd largest suspension bridge, Denmark’s Great Belt Bridge (Storebæltsbroen).	Busan, the Republic of Korea’s Gwangan Grand Bridge, with a suspension section of around 500 meters but with an overall length of 7,420 meters
The famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco	Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul	Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan Bridge in background	Western portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge — two bridges with a common central anchorage
Hercilio Luz Bridge, Florianópolis, Brazil	Golden Gate Bridge, California, USA

References

See also

• Category:Suspension bridges — for articles about specific suspension bridges.
• List of longest suspension bridge spans
• Timeline of three longest spans whether bridge, aerial tramway, powerline, ceiling or dome etc. Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of suspension bridges This is the timeline of the 3 longest man-made spans in the world all categories, that at least have the strength to carry some persons A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water An aerial tramway is a type of Aerial lift in which a cabin is suspended from a cable and is pulled by another cable Electric power transmission, a process in the delivery of Electricity to consumers is the bulk transfer of electrical power A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that bounds the upper limit of a room. A dome is a common structural element of Architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a Sphere.
• Cable-stayed bridge — superficially similar to a suspension bridge, but cables from the towers directly support the roadway, rather than the road being suspended indirectly by additional cables from the main cables connecting two towers. A
• Inca rope bridge — has features in common with a suspension bridge and predates them by at least three hundred years. Inca rope bridges were Simple suspension bridges over canyons and gorges ( pongos ' to provide access for the Inca Empire. However in a rope bridge the deck itself is suspended from the anchored piers and the guardrails are non-structural.
• Self-supporting suspension bridge — combining elements of a suspension bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the self-anchored type
• Simple suspension bridge — a modern implementation of the rope bridge using steel cables, although either the upper guardrail or lower footboard cables may be the main structural cables. This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the simple suspension type

External links

• New Brunswick Canada suspension footbridges
• Structurae: suspension bridges
• American Society of Civil Engineers History and heritage of civil engineering — bridges
• Bridgemeister: Mostly suspension bridges
• Wilford, John Noble (May 8, 2007). Inca suspension bridges How the Inca Leapt Canyons. The New York Times.