OAKLAND (KRON) -- Workers on the new east span of the Bay Bridge are marking a significant milestone this week when they start hanging the suspender cables that will support the deck.

Officials say the single main cable's final strands were put in place April 5th.  Since then special hydraulic compacting machines have been squeezing the cable together forming a cylinder. Those machines are now just a few hundred yards away from being finished with that task.

"We’re taking the individual strands of wire that when they are grouped together they form sort of a hexagon, we’re compressing them into a cylindrical shape that allows us to hold the saddles that ultimately hold the bridge up," Bay Bridge project spokesman Bart Ney says.  "It’s a big milestone for us to finish this."

The new span, connecting the East Bay with Yuerba Buena Island, is due to open after a Labor Day Weekend closure next year.

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