Suspension Bridge

Suspension bridges are just what their name sounds like: They’re stabilized with vertical pillars or pylons connected by suspension cables. Attached to these main cables are smaller, vertical suspenders that hold up the bridge deck using tension, the main force that sustains suspension bridges.

The suspension cables must be anchored at each end of the bridge since any load applied to the bridge is transformed into 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 their own trusswork. In the latter case, there will be a very little arc in the outboard main cables.