Suspension bridge

A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been made since ancient times. Simple suspension bridges, for use by pedestrians, are still constructed in some places worldwide for use by pedestrians and livestock using designs based upon the ancient Inca rope bridge. Suspended 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. Over the centuries, advancements in materials and design led to the development of the suspended-deck suspension bridge, a modern bridge capable of carrying vehicles and light rail. Instead of the deck following a downward arc of the main load bearing cables (or chains) these cables are suspended between towers and the cables support vertical suspender cables to carry the weight of a deck below, upon which the traffic crosses. This arrangement allows the deck to be level or to arc slightly upward for additional clearance.

See also

• :Category:Suspension bridges- for all the articles about specific suspension bridges.
• List of largest suspension bridges - ordered by the length of the main span.
• Cable-stayed bridge - again, superficially similar to a suspension bridge, but cables from the towers directly support the roadway, rather than the road being suspended from cables connecting two towers.
• Inca rope bridge - which have many features in common with a suspension bridge and predates them by at least three hundred years. 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.
• Simple suspension bridge - a modern implementation of the rope bridge using steel cables.