A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The type covered here has cables suspended between towers, with vertical suspender cables that transfer the live and dead loads of the deck below, upon which traffic crosses.
source/image: 3D Living Studio
This arrangement allows the deck to be level or to arc upward for additional clearance.This is a quick demonstration to explain how a giant suspension bridge is built over a deep body of water. This video shows how it is constructed underwater, how the cables and decks are installed.
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.
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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 very little arc in the outboard main cables.
