“Erecting Cable before Constructing G irder”ConstructionM ethod of Self-Anchored Suspension Bridges

To expand the application range of self-anchored suspension bridges, a novel construction methodwas brought up for self-anchored suspension bridges with a short span ranging from 100 to 400 m. It is called as“erecting cable before constructing girder”(ECBCG) constructionmethod and means that in the construction of a self-anchored suspension bridge the girder is constructed after the cable has been erected. Themaximum horizontal force that the piermustendurewas investigated, and some key problems, such as the size of the pier, the temporary join and the stabilization during construction, were discussed. The results show that the horizontal force can be acceptable for this type ofbridgewithin a certain range ofspan for thismethod to overcome the shortcoming of the construction method of“constructing girderbefore erecting cable”.