#91 Suspension Bridge Cable Enbankment

Description:  Seen here is the cable anchorage for the Ambassador Suspension Bridge over the Detroit River.  This large mass of concrete is designed to deliver the opposing force on the main cables of the bridge after they have passed over the towers of the bridge.  Inside the concrete mass the seemingly large single cable actually breaks apart into the smaller cables it is made of for anchoring purposes.  The length of each cable embedded in the concrete is very important to prevent pull out of the cables and is calculated according to reinforced concrete code ACI 318.