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Project focus Hams Way Footbridge

Design and construction of Hams


Way Footbridge, Worcester
Project credits SYNOPSIS
Bridge owner Worcestershire Hams Way Footbridge is an elegant new pedestrian and cycle
County Council
bridge on the outskirts of Worcester, UK. The steel bowstring
Structural COWI
engineer
truss bridge features smooth curves and intricate connections
Architect Moxon Architects
and is designed to catch shadow lines along its main members
to enhance its lightweight appearance. This article describes
Main Alun Griffiths
contractor Contractors the design from concept through to detailed design, including a
Steelwork SH Structures thorough assessment of the embodied carbon.
fabrication
and erection
FINN GRAHAM
MSc, DIC, CEng, MICE
Introduction
Highways Burroughs
Hams Way Footbridge (Figure 1) is
and drainage Senior Engineer, COWI, London, UK
a new pedestrian and cycle bridge
engineer
forming part of the strategically important
Environmental TACP BEN CURRY Worcester Southern Link Road Phase
consultant MEng, CEng, MIStructE 4 (SLR4) project in the West Midlands,
Associate, COWI, London, UK England. The footbridge replaces a
Flood Wallingford
signal-controlled pedestrian crossing of
modelling HydroSolutions
the A4440, one of Worcester’s busiest
Client’s Jacobs Key facts roads carrying more than 30 000 vehicles
project each day. The new footbridge improves
Total length 335m
manager National Cycle Network route 46 from
Main span 42m Worcester towards the Malvern Hills by
Category 3 Tony Gee and separating cyclists and pedestrians from
check Partners Bridge type Steel bowstring truss
traffic at the busy Powick Roundabout.

íFIGURE 1:
Hams Way Footbridge
SIMON KENNEDY

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Hams Way Footbridge Project focus

HIGH COMPLIANCE
The focal point of the bridge is hydroelectric power station (1894) éFIGURE 2: limits for pedestrian excitation. The
Aerial view of site
the elegant trussed-arch main span, (Figure 3). 6m high trusses lean inward by 7.5°
during flooding
supported on dramatic leaning concrete Ò| The A4440 is a high-load route, and are unbraced to give a dramatic
piers to achieve the client’s aspiration requiring a 6.45m clearance under user experience when crossing on foot
for a lightweight ‘floating’ aesthetic. the footbridge rather than the typical (Figure 4).
The bridge also features long approach 5.7m. This extra height lengthens the The chords and diagonal members of
ramps where economy and speed of approach ramps, which are limited to the main span are formed from square
construction were the main design a 1:20 gradient. hollow sections (SHSs) rotated through
drivers, while matching the architectural 45°. These diagonal sections mirror
success of the main span. The bridge is one of several new a similar detail on the nearby Diglis
projects in the area, with the overarching Footbridge and are designed to catch
Constraints objective being to improve sustainable light on their upper half with shadow cast
The site has several constraints which transport links around Worcester. The on the lower, a visual effect which makes
were addressed in the design: client’s aspiration was for the bridge to them appear attractively slender.
Ò| The area is located close to the be a recognisable ‘gateway’ structure, The deck plate is 10mm thick and
confluence of the Rivers Teme and while being sensitive to its historic is stiffened with flat plate stiffeners
Severn and is prone to flooding surroundings. welded beneath and two edge stiffeners
(Figure 2). During construction in above, formed by folding up the edges
the winter of 2019–20, Worcester Main-span design of the deck plate. Cross-beams are
was hit by the highest flood since Worcestershire County Council rolled universal beam (UB) sections at
Environment Agency records began. expressed a preference for an arch- 3m centres, designed with stiffened
Ò| The site is archaeologically sensitive type main span for consistency with connections to the truss chords to
as it was the location of the Battle other footbridges in the region. Aware provide a degree of ‘U-frame’ stiffness,
of Worcester, the final battle of the that ‘traditional’ steel arch bridges stabilising the unbraced top chord
English Civil War in 1651. with vertical hangers can fall foul of (Figure 5).
Ò| The site is surrounded by a number the Eurocode pedestrian dynamics The top chord of the main span
of historically important pieces of requirements, the design team is curved at a relatively tight radius
infrastructure, including Old Powick proposed a 42m long bowstring truss (43.6m). The fabricator, SH Structures,
Bridge (original construction 15th for the main span. The truss diagonals recommended that the SHSs had a
íFIGURE 3:
century), New Powick Bridge (1837) provide additional stiffness and push Historic structures minimum wall thickness of 16mm, even
and Powick Mills, Britain’s first the resonant frequencies above the around site though 10mm would have been enough

c) Powick Mills
hydroelectric
power station

a) Old Powick Bridge b) New Powick Bridge

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Project focus Hams Way Footbridge

îFIGURE 4: View
along main span
showing inclined, íFIGURE 5:
unbraced arches, Cross-section
with Powick of main span
Mills visible in
background

SIMON KENNEDY

from a strength perspective. The thicker


îFIGURE 6: Fabrication of end curves – concept and reality
walls were required to prevent local of geometrically non-linear (large
buckling and distortion of the SHSs displacement) elastic analyses to BS EN
during the bending process. This is 1993-2 Annex D. The initial imperfections
a good example of early input from a were scaled by the values outlined in
specialist fabricator being indispensable Table D.9 for the worst-case buckling
in the design process. curve d (i.e. 140mm for a half sinusoidal
At the ends of the arches, the top wave buckling mode and 190mm for a
and bottom chords meet at a tight full sinusoidal wave buckling mode).
curve, hiding the supports and giving These non-linear analyses enabled
the impression that the bridge is floating direct calculation of the second-order
above the piers. This element of the stresses in the truss members to
bridge is fabricated from conically curved demonstrate adequate capacity. Hand
steel plate, stiffened internally. It was a calculations and approximated codified
particular focus of the design with the buckling checks were used to cross-
important architectural detail needing to check the results of the non-linear
resist significant forces at the junction of analyses.
the arch and the hidden bearing cross- The main analysis model in LUSAS
beam. Early collaboration between the software (Figure 7) used beam elements
design and fabrication teams was key in for the chords and diagonals but further
achieving a detail that is efficient in both studies were carried out to consider the
structural performance and fabrication îFIGURE 7: Eigenvalue effects of connection flexibility. It was
effort. The finished product is seamless, buckling analysis of main- discovered that the welded connections
span steelwork in LUSAS
giving no hint of the complicated between the UB cross-beams and the
engineering within (Figure 6). SHS cross-beams were vulnerable
To achieve the architectural aim of to ‘lozenging’ distortion of the SHS,
unbraced arches, the design needed reducing the stiffness and compromising
to ensure the elastic stability of the the effectiveness of the U-frame restraint
compression chords. Arch bridges
typically feature plan bracing of the top
chords to improve their lateral buckling
performance, but without this bracing
the buckling behaviour becomes a much
more crucial aspect of the design.
The relatively slender 300mm SHS
top chords gain some lateral restraint
from the 180mm SHS truss diagonals;
however, the diagonals are flexible and
do not constitute ‘rigid’ restraints. To
quantify the buckling behaviour of the
arches, the design team’s finite element
(FE) model was used to derive elastic
critical buckling modes.
These buckling modes were used
as initial imperfections in a series

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Hams Way Footbridge Project focus

provided by the diagonals. This was


îFIGURE 8:
resolved by inserting plate diaphragms Local stress
at each connection point, preventing analysis of ‘bird
the lozenging displacements and beak’ connection
guaranteeing a stiff load path through the
connection.
When a rotated SHS connects to
the wall of another rotated SHS, the
resulting joint is known as a ‘bird beak’
connection1. This type of connection
was found to perform better in terms
of strength and stiffness than an
equivalently sized connection where the
walls meet perpendicularly. This is due to
the in-plane contribution of force transfer
and equivalent reduction in out-of-plane
bending effects in the wall. However, the
bird beak connections fall outside of the
Eurocode provisions for hollow section
connections and they were instead
designed to the CIDECT Design guide îFIGURE 9:
Junction of ramp
for rectangular hollow sections (RHS) and main span
under predominantly static loading2 and
validated against FE models of the joints,
which showed good agreement.
The FE analysis showed significant
stress concentrations at the bird beak
connections (Figure 8), but limited local
plasticity was found not to compromise
the stiffness of the joints. Footbridges
are not generally fatigue-sensitive, but
fatigue studies were performed for both
pedestrian live load and wind-induced

SIMON KENNEDY
dynamics.
Although the main span did exhibit
some natural frequencies below 5Hz (the
limit for triggering Eurocode checks),
these were predominantly lateral
displacements of the top chords. The
first vertical mode was found to be above
5Hz. The main span therefore performed the principles of the UK National Annex
well under pedestrian dynamics, to BS EN 1993-2.
validating the early-stage design choice THE RAMP EDGE
Approach ramp design
of adopting stiff diagonal members in
preference to vertical hangers.
BEAMS FEATURE The main span is reached via multi-span
The corrosion protection system for all THE SAME approach ramps (Figure 9) as well as a
steelwork exposed to the elements was
a four-part paint system, with the topcoat
ROTATED SHS staircase to the north. The total length of
the approach spans is over 250m, so an
being a two-component, chemically FORM AS THE economic solution was required that was
curing, acrylic polyurethane coating with íFIGURE MAIN-SPAN quick to construct. A modular approach
CHORDS
a gloss finish. The hollow sections were 10: First five was adopted using repeated 12m steel
dynamic modes
designed to be fully sealed to avoid of south ramp spans on single rectangular hollow
corrosion of the internal faces, following structure section (RHS) steel piers. The ramp
edge beams feature the same rotated
SHS form as the main-span chords, but
use simplified flat-plate cross-beams for
economy. The ramp edge beams mirror
the tightly curved arch end segments at
the junction between the ramps and the
main span.
The articulation of the ramps was
designed to minimise moving parts to
reduce maintenance requirements. The
ends of the ramps are supported at
the concrete abutments on elastomeric
bearings. At all other support locations,
the ramps are integral with their
concrete pad footings. Articulation is
accommodated by allowing the steel

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Project focus Hams Way Footbridge

despite a limiting horizontal acceleration


íFIGURE 11:
Approach ramp of 0.2m/s2 being required according to
parapet in profile BS EN 19904.
showing sloping posts To verify the lateral accelerations,
the design team drew on research
conducted previously by COWI
colleagues. By assuming a simple
correspondence between the vertical
load model and the lateral load model in
which lateral loads are applied at half the
frequency of vertical, the amplitude of the
first harmonic walking lateral fluctuating
load can be estimated as one quarter of
the vertical5, i.e. 70N. This method now
forms the basis of the lateral pedestrian-
induced response of footbridges in the
newly published Design Manual for
Roads and Bridges. CD 353: Design
Criteria for Footbridges6.
With a combination of the lateral

SIMON KENNEDY
response method outlined above, and
the codified method for vertical response
applied along both the centreline of the
ramps and along the outer edges, the
accelerations were kept within the design
limits by tailoring the pier column RHS
sizes to provide adequate stiffness.
piers to flex and by providing a bare îFIGURE 12:
minimum of expansion joints in the deck Parapet detail at Parapets
top of staircase
(one per ramp, at approximately mid- As well as functioning as a containment
length). system for bridge users, the parapets
The steel piers were therefore required are a major visual feature of the bridge
to be relatively flexible in the longitudinal (Figure 11). The plated nature of the
direction to accommodate thermal sloped elements that make up the
expansion, but stiff enough in the parapet means that they appear solid
transverse direction to provide restraint when viewed along the bridge, focusing
to eccentric loading at deck level. RHSs the bridge user towards the path
were used with the major axis oriented ahead, yet transparent for views directly
transversely, and the section size was out over the bridge to the impressive
tailored to suit the stiffness required, with scenery that surrounds it. The parapets
taller columns requiring larger sections. contain thousands of plated elements
SIMON KENNEDY

Considering the shallow span-to- welded together, as well as hundreds of


depth ratio and the nature of the support îFIGURE 13: connection details. In total, they weigh
conditions, pedestrian dynamic response View from north approximately the same as the main-
ramp showing
was investigated in detail (Figure 10). ankle-level
span steelwork.
The first five natural frequencies of lighting The stainless steel handrail (Figure
the taller straight ramp structure were 12) is supported at regular centres by
found to be 1.4Hz, 1.7Hz, 2.0Hz, 3.2Hz carbon steel posts which carry the
and 3.9Hz. These frequencies are in design loads down into a high-strength
the range that can be a concern with friction-grip (HSFG) connection and into
regards to pedestrian-induced dynamic the edge beam/bottom chord. To prevent
response. The first four modes were bi-metallic corrosion of dissimilar metals,
found to be horizontal modes and the the handrail is isolated from the posts
fifth a vertical mode. with neoprene isolators. The bottom rail
The pedestrian dynamic analysis serves a dual purpose: it supports the
methods outlined in the UK National intermediate parapet posts as well as
Annex to BS EN 1991-23 (Eurocode 1) housing and hiding the lighting box and
address vertical responses in good detail cables that provide ankle-level lighting to
and provide a straightforward method of the bridge deck.
verifying the accelerations of the bridge
deck. Drainage and lighting
The potential for lateral dynamic Drainage of the bridge is achieved by
excitation of ramps on single-column the transverse crossfall of the deck plate
supports was quickly identified. The and a longitudinal fall of the bridge. Water
SIMON KENNEDY

Eurocode gives a method for checking flows to the edges of the deck plate
that an unstable lateral response and down the bridge and ramps, being
due to crowd loading is avoided but picked up at intermediate locations using
lacks guidance on determining lateral stainless steel gullies. An 8mm thick
accelerations under pedestrian loading, polyurethane-based deck surfacing was

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Hams Way Footbridge Project focus

panels would have on the appearance of


íFIGURE 14:
Site-welding the edge beam.
of main-span Following completion of the reinforced
steelwork concrete pad foundations and steel
columns, the ramp units were lifted
into place, working from the abutments
towards the main span. The ramps were
designed to be repeatable modular units
that could be transported in two-span
(24m) lengths within normal road haulage
limits (Figure 17).

Emerging technology in
design
3D modelling is no longer a new
technology, but as our industry becomes
more digitalised, the way in which 3D
modelling adds value to projects is
constantly evolving. Although delivery of
used, which also acts as a waterproofing the Hams Way Footbridge design was
íFIGURE 15:
layer to the bridge deck. Installation of contractually through 2D drawings, a full
LED lighting is provided at ankle level main span on 3D model of the bridge was created in
SPMTs
to minimise environmental impact and Tekla (Figure 18) and this added great
reduce glare to vehicles travelling below value to the project.
(Figure 13). Visualisations of the bridge, created by
the architect, were ultimately the greatest
Construction driver in allowing stakeholders to make
Minimising disruption to the A4440 was a informed decisions at early stages of the
key selling point of the tender design and project. Sight lines, aesthetics, lighting
the planning submission. The lightweight levels, and health and safety hazards
steel main span was chosen to allow were among the many criteria. Another
it to be installed during a minimal road valuable tool was the ability to convert
closure. the Tekla model into a virtual reality
The whole main span exceeded representation of the bridge (Figure
road transportation limits and it was 19). Nothing puts a client’s mind at ease
delivered to site in pieces. An assembly better than being able to walk around a
‘jig’ was constructed close to the main realistic virtual model of the completed
span’s final position and the transport structure!
segments were site-welded to complete Parametric models were linked to
the superstructure (Figure 14). The main the analysis software and early-stage
span was installed during a Saturday global static and stability checks
morning closure of the A4440 using self- could be carried out on many different
propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) orientations of geometry and section
(Figure 15). This installation method sizes. This allowed the steelwork to be
JOHN REES

was extremely rapid and enabled Powick optimised and prevented any surprises
Roundabout to be reopened within two at later stages in the design. Parametric
hours, before the peak Saturday morning models were also linked to the global
traffic period. Tekla model. This ensured the geometry
The approach ramps were fabricated
and transported in two-span sections
îFIGURE 17:
with end-plate HSFG bolted connections. Erection of 24m
Access to tighten the edge beam bolts section of ramp
is from a hidden hatch on the inner-lower
face of the diamond edge beam
(Figure 16), hiding any discontinuity the

ìFIGURE 16: Hidden bolted splice connection


within edge beams (cover plates omitted)

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Project focus Hams Way Footbridge

that was used in the analysis was exactly íFIGURE 18: steel trussed arch for the main span and
3D view of main-
what was being communicated to the span pier rebar,
simple, repeated lightweight steel spans
fabricators. It also ensured the geometry coloured by bar for the approach ramps.
was mathematically defined and could be mark. Piers were Ò| The steel structure was transitioned
geometrically
represented on drawings with a concise set complex and
to low-carbon reinforced earth ramps
of parameters. ability to carry (using site-won material) as soon as the
out clash flood modelling analysis allowed.
Sustainability in design detection in 3D
environment was
Ò| Structural members were designed to
The global warming potential of the extremely helpful high utilisations, with section sizes varied
infrastructure we design is rightly coming to suit different situations.
under increasing focus across the industry Ò| Steel moment connections were detailed
in light of the UK’s commitments to to minimise the number of bracing
reach a net-zero economy by 2050, and members.
similar commitments around the world. Ò| Shallow footings were used for the
The production of construction materials ramps, with footprints optimised to
and construction activities contribute provide only the resistance required.
significantly to our carbon footprint. For Ò| Where concrete was used (ramp
infrastructure projects, the embodied footings/abutments and main-span piers
carbon in a structure is likely to dwarf the and foundations) a low-cement CEM
operational carbon emissions and so IIIA mix was specified (minimum 50%
makes up the bulk of the emissions within GGBS).
the engineer’s direct control. We therefore Ò| Concrete elements were standardised to
consider it a priority to quantify and manage allow reuse of formwork.
embodied carbon in our designs. Ò| Steel elements were generally designed
The IStructE has promoted the following for off-site manufacture and bolted
hierarchy for focusing on embodied carbon assembly on site, minimising waste
reduction in construction: i) minimise
material usage, ii) specify low-carbon
STEEL ELEMENTS WERE and pollution. SH Structures’ facility in
North Yorkshire is powered entirely from
materials, and iii) offset emissions. For GENERALLY DESIGNED renewable sources.
Hams Way Footbridge, the design team FOR OFF-SITE Ò| The ramps were designed and detailed
and supply chain all contributed to these
principles: MANUFACTURE AND almost entirely without bearings,
minimising future maintenance and
Ò| The structural form is efficient, with a BOLTED ASSEMBLY ON SITE bridge closures.

îFIGURE 19: View of Enscape VR simulation


of bridge as presented in stakeholder
meetings. Concrete on nearside pier has
been hidden to allow inspection of rebar for
constructability reviews

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Hams Way Footbridge Project focus

An embodied carbon comparison arrangement for a bridge of this type. It’s improvement in design processes,
study has been performed to assess worth noting that optimum embodied are imperative in pushing forward the
the efficiency of the structure and the CO2 closely mirrors the optimum sustainability agenda in the structural
relative impact of different components economic solution, with reduced material engineering industry. By quantifying
(Figure 20). The method utilises guidance usage a priority in both metrics. the issue and highlighting the priorities,
outlined by the IStructE7 and the Inventory Ò| The overall estimated embodied CO2 engineers are able to focus their attention
of Carbon and Energy (ICE) database for Hams Way Footbridge is 815kg per on the most CO2-sensitive design features.
with some amendments to make it m2 deck area. This value makes it the We anticipate it becoming common
suitable for infrastructure projects. It best-performing bridge in CO2 terms practice that CO2e tools such as this are
includes lifecycle stages A1–A5, i.e. raw of any analysed by COWI so far. This is used to guide design decisions from the
material supply, transportation of material, due partly to the long approach ramps very start of projects, and that clients will
manufacturing, transport of product to site with relatively short spans, but the careful expect as much. Further integration of
and construction installation processes. For design considerations and material building information models to track carbon
meaningful comparison with other projects, specification listed above also led to a with full transparency throughout key design
the total weight of embodied carbon dramatic reduction relative to what could stages should also be encouraged. The
(kgCO2e) per functional unit of bridge (m2 of have been. authors’ organisation has developed such
deck) was calculated. Ò| 15% of the embodied carbon for the tools and is now routinely using them to
For the materials used in this project, the entire bridge can be traced back to assist with sustainable practices in design
typical A1–A3 emissions factors (based on the two main-span piers and their projects.
the ICE database v2.0) were as follows: foundations. The relative significance
Ò| Fabricated steel plate: 1.96kgCO2e/kg of these elements can be tied in part Conclusion
(including 0.3kgCO2e/kg for fabrication) to the decision to adopt inclined piers Hams Way Footbridge is an excellent
Ò| Rolled steel section: 1.53kgCO2e/kg that achieve a particular aesthetic and example of how an ordinary road span can
Ò| Concrete: 243kgCO2e/m3 meet the client’s desire for a landmark be upgraded to a ‘statement’ bridge with
Ò| Reinforcement: 1.4kgCO2e/kg. structure. Although a minor concession, a few carefully considered architectural
simple vertical piers could certainly enhancements. Complex detailing
The following conclusions are drawn have been lighter. As our environmental was delivered in a clear, buildable and
from this study: responsibilities become stricter over the sustainable way through collaboration
Ò| Unsurprisingly, the longer main span coming years, this type of compromise across the design and construction teams.
uses more CO2 per unit area than the may well become unacceptable. Digital tools were utilised to effectively
approach spans (1700kg/m2 compared Engineers will need to collaborate communicate design intent with the
with 700kg/m2). For optimum efficiency more closely with architects during the construction team, as well as to the client
of superstructure, it makes sense to concept phase to ensure that structural and many stakeholders of the bridge.
use short spans; however, this is at the efficiency leads the architectural scheme,
expense of additional substructures and rather than the other way round.
REFERENCES
foundations. We believe the repeated
12m approach spans with shallow Comparative studies such as this, as
footings are close to the optimum span well as transparency and continuous
1) Romeijn A. and Wardenier J.
(2006) 7V-7/06 The fatigue behaviour
of bird beak T-joints, Delft: Delft
University
2) Packer J., Wardenier J., Kurobane
Y., Dutta D. and Yeomans N. (1992)
Design guide for rectangular hollow
sections (RHS) under predominantly
static loading, Köln: TUV Rheinland
GmbH
3) British Standards Institution
HAVE (2003) NA+A1:2020 to BS EN 1991-
YOUR 2:2003 National Annex (informative)
SAY to BS EN 1991-2:2003, Eurocode 1:
Actions on structures. Traffic loads
on bridges, London: BSI
4) British Standards Institution
(2002) BS EN 1990:2002+A1:2005
Eurocode. Basis of structural design,
London: BSI
tse@istructe.org 5) Kreuzinger H. (2002) ‘Dynamic
design strategies for pedestrian
and wind actions’, Footbridge
Conference, Paris, France, 20–22
November
@IStructE 6) Highways England (2020) Design
#TheStructuralEngineer
Manual for Roads and Bridges. CD
353: Design criteria for footbridges,
London: Highways England
7) Gibbons O.P. and Orr J.J. (2020)
How to calculate embodied carbon,
éFIGURE 20: Summary of equivalent embodied carbon (lifecycles A1–A5) per square metre of usable #TheStructuralEngineer London: IStructE Ltd
deck area

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