Fifty-Year Development: Construction of Steel Suspension Bridges

During the past 50 yr there have been changes in the construction of steel suspension bridges. The design of bridges with longer spans has had an impact on the methods used for construction. The methods used for tower erection have changed with the use of heavier and taller towers. Longer spans have resulted in larger diameter cables. This has affected the design and erection of catwalks and the methods and equipment used for cable spinning, stiffening truss erection, and cable wrapping. The development of the methods used to erect the towers, main cables, and suspended steelwork of suspension bridges is traced by reviewing the construction of notable suspension bridges built in the United States.