The existing Sidney Lanier Bridge crossing the Brunswick River near Brunswick, Georgia, has a lift span of 76.25 m (250 ft), which is deemed too small for the ships that visit the harbor today. The new Sidney Lanier Bridge is a replacement for the existing structure to ensure navigational safety. It will be 2372.9 m (7,780 ft) long with a 381.25-m (1,250-ft) cable-stayed center span, which has a vertical clearance of 56.425 m (185 ft) above the mean high water level. The new bridge will permit the passage of any ship known to exist in the world today. The total width of the bridge deck is 24.71 m (81 ft), which will accommodate two traffic lanes in each direction. The concrete deck girder consists of a concrete slab 27.94 cm (11 in.) thick supported by 1.525-m (5-ft) by 1.45-m (4.75-ft) concrete longitudinal girders at each edge and by transverse floor beams spaced at 8.29 m (27.17 ft). At the two pylons, the superstructure is free to move in the longitudinal direction and restrained in the vertical and transverse directions. The concrete deck is cast monolithically with the two end piers. Each concrete pylon carries two vertical planes of fan-shaped cables anchored to the edge girders.

<p>This paper discusses three latest practices applied to existing US long-span suspension bridges. The first is the moveable median barrier (MMB) along U.S. Highway 101 on the Golden Gate Bridge that was recently installed. This MMB system enhances traffic safety by providing a physical barrier to separate opposing directions of traffic, while at the same time allowing the reconfiguration of the lanes to meet peak capacity demands. The second is the suicide deterrent barrier system (SDS) to be installed on the Golden Gate Bridge, the first of its kind in the United States. The Net system was identified as the Preferred Alternate in the FEIR/EA process to be carried forward to final design. The third is the corrosion protection of main cables by dehumidification, first implemented in the United States on the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bay Bridge and now being planned or implemented on other US main cable suspension bridges.</p>