Once the sling was in place and the pulley and chains secured, the lifting could now begin. By tensioning the wire rope, the bridge is lifted up as the sag is taken out of the high line. The belay (to a tree on the right keeps the bridge from moving to the left until it clears the midpoint support beam. The strap, pulley and rope you see goes off to a rope puller come-a-long which will draw the bridge into alignment once it is clear of the center support. By balancing the tension between the belay and the rope puller the now-suspended bridge end can be very accurately positioned. Here, David is monitoring the action by the lifting winch operator. (photo by Monica Day)