The Eye-Bar Cable Suspension Bridge at Florianopolis, Brazil

The recently completed Florianopolis Suspension Bridge, with a main span of 1113 ft. 9 in., is the longest span bridge in South America and the longest eye-bar suspension span in the world. The bridge was constructed for the Brazilian State of Santa Catharina, and spans the waters of a strait of the Atlantic Ocean. It is to carry a highway, electric railway, and water-supply main to Florianopolis, the island capital of that State. The structure is of interest to bridge engineers as the first executed example of a new form of suspension stiffening construction, whereby greatly increased rigidity and economy of material are secured simultaneously. The distinctive feature of this construction is the utilization of the cable to replace a part of the top chord of the stiffening truss, and the consequent change from the conventional parallel chord truss to a stiffening truss of more effective outline.