The suspension rods and chains are wrought iron, while the bridge deck is built of timber sleepers coated in planking and asphalt. The towers (or piers) of the bridge are composed of Pennant stone and red sandstone. The total weight of the bridge is about 7,700 tons. Clifton Suspension Bridge was built by Richard Turner and opened to traffic in 1864. It joins Bristol to its south-western suburbs and is one of England's oldest working bridges. The original ironwork was replaced in 1901 after a fire destroyed much of it. The new suspension rods were forged from double-ribbed "clifford" steel, which is more resistant to corrosion than plain carbon steel. The bridge has been restored several times since then, most recently in 1992. You may wonder why there aren't any warning signs on the bridge if it is such a dangerous thing to walk across. The reason is simple: nobody has ever been killed when walking across the Clifton Suspension Bridge! The world's first vehicular road bridge, now known as the Old Bedford Road Bridge, was built by John Wolfe Lane in 1767. He also constructed Southwark Bridge and Westminster Bridge. The Old Bedford Road Bridge was used as a toll bridge until it was replaced by the present Stonebridge Road Bridge in 1872.