Garaventa: From Swiss Cable Car To Suspension Bridge – A Second Life For Steel Cables

Garaventa: From Swiss cable car to suspension bridge – a second life for steel cables. For years, Garaventa has been committed to supporting Toni "El Suizo" in his humanitarian bridge-building project. Discarded cable car steel cables from Swiss installations are given a second life – and used to build suspension bridges in Latin America and Southeast Asia, connecting remote village communities.

For 38 years, Toni has dedicated himself to improving access to schools, markets, and medical care for people who are cut off from the outside world. Garaventa provides discarded ropes that are no longer suitable for other uses – including organizing transport, temporary storage, and preparation for export to the respective countries. These ropes form the core of every bridge, enabling the bridges to be built safely and with longevity.

A project with a major impact

• 75 cable car companies have donated over 541,000 meters of decommissioned cable so far.
• There are already over 962 suspension bridges – Toni's goal is 1,001 bridges.
• These bridges make everyday life easier for more than 2.6 million people.
• 20 to 30 new structures are built annually in Myanmar and Indonesia.

The designs are deliberately simple and versatile: the bridges can be used on foot, by bicycle, moped, livestock and small transport vehicles – a crucial factor for the development of remote regions.

Last shipment to Indonesia

In October 2025, more discarded ropes were prepared for their next use. 68 tons of rope from Davos, St. Moritz, Sedrun, Zermatt, the Schilthorn and Ticino were loaded into three 40-foot containers and shipped to Indonesia.

Garaventa supported this delivery through:

• Disposal/return transport of discarded ropes to Goldau
• Provision of temporary storage areas
• Coordination of transport and import/export documents
• Provision of the necessary manpower and machinery for loading

External partners also made important contributions:

Frey Transporte, for example, carried out transport from Davos to Goldau. The Indonesian government granted duty-free import of the ropes, and the sea freight company offered a very fair transport price.

Appreciation for the commitment of Toni «El Suizo»

"We are delighted to support Toni in his work and thus contribute to opening up new paths, safety, and connections for people in remote regions."

Garaventa finds it impressive to see how decommissioned cable car steel cables are being used in major infrastructure projects worldwide.