Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge anchorage on the Staten Island side contains a facility for heating cinders that are used to de-ice the bridge deck during winter. At the time of opening, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world; its 4,260-foot center span, between the two suspension towers, was longer than the Golden Gate Bridge's center span. Despite being only slightly longer than the Golden Gate Bridge, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge could carry a 75% greater load than the former could. In 1981, the Verrazzano Bridge was surpassed by the Humber Bridge in England, which has a center span of , as
Broughton Suspension Bridge ordered to break step on bridgesnevertheless, marching was cited as a contributing factor to the collapse of the Angers Bridge in France during a storm in 1850, killing over 200 soldiers. Broughton Suspension Bridge was rebuilt and strengthened, but, according to the "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72)", it was propped with temporary piles whenever a large crowd was expected. The suspension bridge was eventually replaced by a Pratt truss footbridge, designed by the Borough Engineer at a cost of about £2,300, which was formally opened on 2 April 1924. Broughton Suspension Bridge Broughton Suspension Bridge was an iron