Road building in Japan involves the construction of large numbers of tunnels and bridges because of its naturally mountainous terrain. This type of topography can make construction of even modestly-sized bridges a difficult, intrusive and expensive task. In an attempt to try and address these problems, engineers in Japan have been developing a new method of building composite truss bridges using suspension systems. In 2004 (Bd&e issue 37) construction of the Seiun Bridge in Yamashiro demonstrated how the steel truss and deck of a road bridge could be built on suspension cables. Once the deck was complete, the force in the cables, which were initially taken by ground anchors, were tranferred into the concrete upper and lower chords as prestressing forces. By using this construction method, it was possible to build a single-span composite truss without using temporary supports or falsework. Benefits were realised both in terms of construction cost and sustainability, requiring less excavation and minimising the environmental impact of the bridge.