I get it. A suspension bridge without any suspension. At least not right away. Turns out the suspension was needed right away. Suspension design was dumb and a showoff deal. Just build it with center pillars next time and forget any suspension. When this POS is rebuilt (at US taxpayers expense) my bet is suspension will be OUT and center pillars IN.
A suspension design for a short bridge like this helps eliminate the need for a supporting arch or deep vertical steel/concrete supports to hold up the bridge.
And for clarification, this bridge was not designed as a suspension but as a cable-stayed bridge. They look somewhat similar, but on a cable-stayed bridge the cables run directly from the deck to the tower(s) ... while the main cables are suspended from the towers on a suspension bridge.
I have nothing against properly designed and constructed suspension systems. They work well all over the place and the elements are “up there” out of the way of traffic. With any kind of permanent ground piers you’re going to get at least a 25% reduction in traffic capacity and a lot more cost.