MENAI BRIDGE

suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait from Bangor, Wales, to the island of Anglesey, a distance of 580 feet (176 metres). Designed and built (181926) by Thomas Telford (q.v.), it was the first important modern suspension bridge. The deck, designed for two carriageways, was suspended by iron chains from masonry towers at either end. Sixteen chain cables were each composed of 935 iron bars, a total of 2,000 tons of wrought iron. Though damaged by storms, the bridge survived because of the addition of transverse bracing and trussed railings. In 1939, to accommodate increased automobile traffic, the chains were replaced by steel cables. See also Britannia Bridge.