FUTURE TRENDS

IN
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
OF
BRIDGES
 Introduction
Unprecedented developments both in the bridge
technology as well as towards appearance.
Technically, very long span bridges can be built with
present-day materials. Spans are becoming bigger e.g.
bridge on Chenab river in J & K, one of the longest arch
span (480m) in the world. (Fig.1)
Consideration of the entire life cycle justify driving the
span upwards.
Society increasingly willing to pay for the convenience
and aesthetics of long span bridges.
Cable-stayed bridges encroaching on the type of spans
traditionally associated with suspension bridges. e.g.
Longest cable stayed bridge constructed in the world in
Japan (Tatara – 890m span). (Fig.2)
1,000m barrier breached by Stonecutters bridge in
Hongkong and Sutong bridge in China and 1,200m span
already planned. Growth in smaller suspension bridges
with spans of perhaps 100m to 500m.
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges
Architectural Appearance
• Appearance plays a far greater role in bridge design
today than it did a few years ago.
• Greater awareness of the importance of a bridge design
that properly fits its setting e.g. Bow String Girder
Bridge across Thane Creek in Mumbai region provides a
visual treat to the rail commuters. (Fig.3)
• A client wants an artist to dictate the design, the architect
to interpret, the engineer to make it work.
• The ‘wow’ factor can come with something that is both
original and simple in concept e.g. much-praised
Gateshead Millennium Bridge (Fig.4)
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges

Security hazard
• Multi-hazard protection growing importance against
blasts and earthquakes.
• Massive increase in armoury of tools to protect bridges.
• Developments in areas such as understanding of seismic
activity, techniques for risk assessment, means of
predicting seismic response .Solutions envisaged like
wrapping columns with glass/carbon fiber, energy
absorbing devices, structural fuses to dissipate energy.
• Earthquake not a force but a deformation. New concept
to provide sufficient capacity in deformation and allow
bridge to move instead of trying to resist force.
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges (contd.)
Increased Span
• Developments in cable technology a key parameter to
increasing the span.
• Significant progress made by reducing the size of
strand systems ,adding features such as helixes around
the cables.
• Damping important for long spans .Solutions such as
tuned mass dampers, cross-cables or ‘aiguilles’ as used
on the cable-stayed Pont de Normandie bridge in
France. (Fig. 5)
• Today’s spinning equipment is competitive with
preformed parallel wire strand systems.
Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges (contd.)
Taller Bridges
.
• Equipment developed for handling and driving
piles of large diameter upto 4m and length more
than 100m.
• Improvements in drill hole stability while drilling
huge diameter holes.
• Use of large diameter piles made it possible to
position the pile cap further above the river bed.
Larger piles can have a long unsupported length
enabling the footing to be constructed far closer to
the water surface.
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges (contd.)
Getting stronger
• Introduction of a new material will only be successful
if a new concept of structure can be developed to use
that material e.g. use of stone to build arches. Steel
made long span trusses box girders possible. High
strength wires made suspension bridges possible.
Together with concrete by way of prestressed
concrete made long span concrete bridges possible.
• Ultra-high performance materials intoduced such as
VSL’s cementitious material Ductal which is nearer
steel than concrete.
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges (contd.)
Precast Components
• Pre-cast foundation, abutment, pier and superstructure
units enable construction of bridges not in years but in
months and weeks e.g. San Juan, Puerto Rico (Fig. 6)
erected from the ground up in just 21 consecutive
hours Lake Ray Hubbard Bridge in Dallas, USA used
pre-cast bent caps (Fig.7)  for all the 43 pier
caps reducing construction time from 8-9 days to 1 day
for each pier cap(Fig.8)
• Pre-cast units eliminate costly field formwork as well
as extend seasonal construction time.
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges(contd.)

New materials
• Use of advanced composites started e.g. stainless steel .
• Different types of applications for composites e.g. use in
post-tensioning, plates and strips, FRP decks, stay
cables, wraps to provide seismic protection and
enclosures to protect structures.
• For rehabilitation also e.g. composite rods to replace the
top mat of steel reinforcement effectively increasing the
cover to steel.
• FRP bridge decks gaining popularity in USA.
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges (contd.)
Increasing durability
• Increased durability being demanded e.g. plastic ducts.
• Introduction of enhanced protection through use of
electrically isolated systems .
• Change in the bridge deck design e.g. in the traditional
design, there would normally be some kind of supporting
structure generally topped by a concrete deck which
could easily be replaced but now in the modern bridge,
the deck is part of the structure and holding it up ,its
replacement could become more complex and expensive.
 Emerging trends in the design and
construction of bridges (contd.)
Conclusion
• In India, so far one cable stay bridge constructed
spanning across railway track near Bangalore. (Fig.9).
Another one under
construction at Chirayatand near Patna.
• Significant growth expected in demand for long span
bridges .
Thank You
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