The Cincinnati Roebling Suspension Bridge
The inspiration for the Brooklyn Bridge
The Roebling Suspension Bridge created quite a new year spectacle when it opened to the public on January 1, 1867. You heard that right, the bridge is 155 years old! The bridge spans the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio.
When it opened, it was the longest bridge in the world with a span of 1,075 ft. Now in 2022, the longest bridge in the world is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge located in Japan with a span of 5,532 ft.
It is crazy how 155 years can change and improve bridge design. Back in 1867, the Roebling Suspension Bridge was a top tier bridge that implemented many new bridge engineering techniques. The most important were the two suspended cables that supported the bridge. The cables includes 5,180 individual wires each, which were spun together to give the bridge added strength. Although suspension cables had been used in many projects pre the Cincinnati bridge, John Roebling was the first to fabricate the spun cables at the job site instead of having them be shipped from the prefabrication site.
Roebling’s bridge was a success and he went on to build one of the most famous bridges.
Construction on the Brooklyn Bridge began in 1870.
This beautiful bridge is currently closed to car traffic due to extensive maintenance.
