Abstract: The hanger tensioning process of self-anchored suspension bridge with spatial cables is analyzed. Based on the mechanical equilibrium of the temporary system of any one construction process accounting for the cutting lengths of the main cable and hanger, the top vertical force matrix and lateral force matrix are established respectively. Independent equilibrium equations are established for each construction stage. The multistage spatial catenary is employed to simulate the bidirectional sag characteristics of spatial cables, and then the exact analytical solution is proposed for hanger tensioning process. The proposed method can separately solve the physical effect of any one construction stage without the effect of any previous stage. Based on this advantage, the optimization method of tensioning schemes is proposed using the gradual tensioning method. The example shows that the proposed method can solve tensioning process accurately and improve the optimization efficiency of tension scheme obviously.