Charles C. Sunderland and the Diffusion of Prestressing Technologies in the Americas

Charles C. Sunderland was employed by the John A. Roebling's Sons Company for over fifty years, from 1901 to 1952. He was Chief Engineer for Roebling for the construction of the George Washington Bridge. He was appointed Chief Bridge Engineer of the newly-formed Bridge Division in 1929 and served in that capacity until retirement. Sunderland advanced fabrication and processing technology for steel wire, wire rope, and wire strand. He developed new structural designs including prestressed cable truss bridges and posttensioned concrete box bridges. Research initiated by Sunderland developed core technologies for the prestressed concrete industry in the U.S. He sustained Roebling's vitality in bridge construction for the entire first half of the 20th century.