Joseph Chaley (1795 – April 15, 1861) was a French civil engineer and a pioneer designer of suspension bridges in the 19th century.
Chaley pioneered the construction of suspension bridge cables by bringing together individual wire strands in mid-air, a technique later known as aerial spinning.
[1] Chaley first presented a proposal for the Grand Pont Suspendu in February 1830, and was awarded the contract in June of that year.
Chaley's bridge was supported on four main cables (two per side), each consisting of 1056 wires each 3.08mm in diameter.
[1] Chaley's other suspension bridges include the 227m Pont du Gottéron (1840); and a 64m span at Collomby in Valais (1840).