of deck are hung in place and so immediately tension the suspenders. The proper initial length of each suspender is predetermined by engineering calculations and adjustments are required for segment relative positioning and equality of load distribution amongst the several suspenders of the section. On this bridge, the deck sections were already in a fixed relative position (being joined together and resting upon the falsework) and all suspender cables must be brought to specific tensions individually in order to tension the main cable. A jacking saddle on the western end is used to balance the tension among the sections of the single main cable. Suspender cable tensioning is performed in stages. The degree of tensioning at various stages and the order of tensioning is critical to this procedure. Starting in 2011, proper balance between main cable runs and suspender cables and proper tension were applied to the main and suspender cables. On November 20, 2012, this process was completed which made the SAS portion of the bridge self-supporting. After that, the falsework was removed. Yerba Buena Island Transition Structure The Yerba Buena Island Transition Structure (YBITS) is an elevated roadway that bridges the gap from the SAS span to the Yerba Buena Island tunnel. Much like the Oakland Touchdown on the other side of the new bridge, this section of the bridge is also an end segment, meaning that the purpose of this segment is to transition portions of the existing bridge to the main spans of the new bridge. The connecting structure transitions the new bridge's side-by-side roadways to the upper and lower decks of the YBI tunnel. In mid-February 2012, the northern structure has been poured and formwork was being removed. In early September 2012, the falsework had been removed, modified, and constructed at the eastbound location with formwork completion now allowing reinforcing and concrete placement. Column design There are a number of columns supporting the structure. As the ground level rises from the shore to the level of the Yerba Buena Tunnel, the height of the above ground portion of the columns varies. Since the rock structure supporting these is a hard shale, it would be normal under previous engineering methods to simply dig a relatively shallow foundation for each column, with the structural length varying progressively. Modern seismic analysis and computer simulations revealed the problem with such a design; while the long columns could flex several