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
Taper suspension bridge Taper suspension bridge The taper suspension bridge (also known as the taper principle) is a bridge design patented by James Dredge in 1836. On a conventional suspension bridge the whole deck is suspended on vertical cables, rods or chains from a single cable or chain slung between two supporting towers. The taper suspension bridge that James Dredge devised in the early nineteenth century differs from the conventional suspension bridge design in that it is, in effect, a double cantilever bridge. Each of the opposing cantilever systems are self-supporting. The cantilever half-deck structure of each cantilever is suspended on angled chains