Recent visual inspections of vertical lift bridges performed by various companies have raised concerns that wire ropes used in the systems established internal and external corrosion and severe external wear where the ropes rub and vibrate against spacers and attachments. The majority of these lift bridges exceed 40 to 50 years in age with some as old as 90 years. With the exception of a few bridges, only visual inspections have been conducted on these wire ropes. Improvements and reductions in the physical size of existing instrumentation have made it possible to inspect these wire ropes nondestructively on a periodic schedule. This same type of inspection can can be conducted on static wire rope or structural stand up to 5 inches in overall diameter