New bridges with cablestayed designs have been popping up on highways across the nation, and they have a distinctive, sleek look to them.

Rather than looking like theclassic suspension bridges that have been in vogue since John A. Roebling spanned the Ohio River in 1866 with what was then the longest suspension bridge in the world, cable-stayed bridges have more of a modern look. They combine the best of suspension bridges with the best of cantilevered bridges, so they provide beauty and strength without the bulk. Senior Editor Richard Mandel looks at the welding techniques developed to build a new cable-stayed bridge that will carry traffic on Interstate 280 through Toledo, Ohio.

One of the advantages of these types of bridges is that parts of them can be built offsite so that the entire project does not have to deal with the uncertainties of weather, which helps the projects to go faster and at lower cost.

However, as a result, putting the bridge components together requires deep and dependable welds. For one of the projects, welders have to lay down a 73-foot, continuous transverse weld across the deck, and that weld has to be a complete penetration joint weld to hold the deck together.

In addition, Richard examines the welding of a new suspension bridge over the infamous Tacoma Narrows of Puget Sound, where winds tore apart a bridge in 1940. Both of these bridges are expected to start carrying traffic in the coming months.

In addition to Richard's report on bridges, we are featuring oxyfuel welding and brazing in this issue, and have reports that address those processes.

Both of them include basic guides that can be used to ensure safety and to ensure that the process works as it should.

Finally, we have in this issue a gem from the Internet.

On our last page, as this month's Off-theClock, you'll find what other welders say is the way to define a welder. It's a feature on "You know you're a welder when…"

This isn't an original idea — I borrowed the idea from another website that, in its turn, took the concept from comedian Jeff Foxworthy's famous routine about rednecks.

However, it is a good idea for welding and for welders. Mostly you'll find things that there that are humorous or, at least many of them will put a smile on your face. But some of them are serious and speak about what you have to get used to and what you have to do to work as a welder.

If you don't find yourself on Page 40, I want to encourage you to visit the Internet (www.weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t =8312) and post something that you think defines a welder.