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WellFoundationsforBridgesareObsolete!!!

WellFoundationsforBridgesareObsolete!!!

S.A.Reddi,FellowIndianNationalAcademyofEngineering
Introduction
Bridge foundations are the most complicated and difficult to construct. Unexpected difficulties cause delays, extra
costsandrevisionofdesignsduetoalteredsituations.Lossofhumanliveswasnormalratherthanexception.In
the Sixties, more than 50 lives were lost due to the accident during pneumatic sinking operations for well
foundationsofMahanadibridgeinOrissa.ForKaliBridgeatKarwarinKarnataka,pneumaticsinkingwasrequiredfor
inspectionofthefoundingsurfaceofthewells.Apartfromdelaysandextracosts,largenumberofworkerssuffered
caissondisease.Duetodifficultiesinwellsinking,twocontractorsleftthejobandthethirdtookmorethan5years
to complete the well foundations. Alternative construction techniques and equipments have emerged. With the
introductionofadvancedpilingequipment,largediameterpilesupto3.5mdiaareeasilyrealizedatafastrate,with
asignificantreductionincostandmaterialquantities.Bridgeselsewherearenowconstructedwithpilefoundations.
Precast RC bored piles of 2.5m diameter was first successfully
realized in India for the old Thana Creek Bridge constructed in
1960s. For the 13 Km long SaudiBaharain Causeway large
diameter precast prestressed bored piles were adopted. By
2005,pilesof23mdia,upto120mdeepareextensivelyused
in the rest of the world. These new techniques eliminate
complicated weatherdependent and risky operations in water.
They have reduced the delays considerably and minimized the
technical and financial risks. The development of modern
techniques has considerably reduced quantities of materials
used for foundations as well as energy consumption and
environmentalimpacts.
Well Foundation Problems at Brahmaputra Bridge at
Tezpur
Thebridgewasmorethan3kmlongwith26spansof120m
and 2 shore spans of 70 m each, founded on 12m dia Wells.
SinkingwellNo.2tofulldepthwasnotpossibleduetobouldery
strataDespitebestefforts,thewellonlywentdownby35.25m
afterthreeseasonsandatextracost!Thewellwaspluggedat
Figure1:BrahmaputrabridgefoundationsNo.17&18
RL 32.075 m and 5 nos 1.5 m dia RCC bored piles (2535m)
were provided to anchor the well, one in the middle through the dredge hole and 4 outside at the four corners.

Furtheralaunchingapronofcratedboulder3mthickwaslaidmakingacircleof60mdiaaroundthewell,atRL
61.00.Theseextraworkscausedfurtherdelayinthecompletionofthesubstructureworks.
Wellfoundationsonslopingrock:BrahmaputraBridgeatJogighopa(2.28km)
Thewellsofmainspanwere11mx17mdoubleDtype.Foundations17&18wererestingonhardrockatsteep
incline of almost 1:1 slope. It was not possible to rest the foundations partially on two types of strata. Hence to
foundthesewells,1500mmdiaanchorpiles,12nosforeachfoundationwereprovidedthroughthebodyofthe
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steining,extendingtoabout10mbelowthecuttingedge.

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WellFoundationsforBridgesareObsolete!!!

Duetothesteepincline,partofthecuttingedgewasrestingon
the rock while the other parts were overhanging. In order to
contain the bottom plug, two rows of jet grouted piles were
introducedaroundtheperipheryofthewellsteiningwhichacted
ascurtainwall(fig.1).1500diapilesalsodrivenuptohardrock
alongtheperipherythroughthesteining.Thecompletionofthe
project was extended by 3 years. Additional cost was several
crores. Effective use of Pile Foundations Jamuna River Bridge
inBangladesh(figs.2&3).

Figure2:PilefoundationsforJamunabridge

Figure3:CompletedviewoftheJamunabridge

A 4.8 km long, four lane road bridge with 100 m spans was constructed in the 1990s on the Jamuna river
(Brahmaputra in India). The foundation design was challenging. Very deep wells are extremely slow to construct,
costly, increasing the total cost. Various alternatives were considered including caissons, driven precast piles and
drivensteeltubularpiles.Theonlyviableoptionwaslargediametertubularsteelpilesdrivenatarake(fig.2).The
pileswerefabricatedinKorea,shippedtositeandinstalledbyhydraulichammer.Thediameterofthepilesranged
between2.5and3.15mandthesteeltubeswerefilledwithconcrete.Maximumpilelengthwas72mbelowbed
level.DuringoneworkingseasonfromOctober1995toJune1996allthe121mainworkpilesplustwofullscale
trialpilesweredriven.
Thisoptimizationresultedinoverallreductioninthebridgecostsbymorethan50%.Thissolutionalsoreducedthe
use of resources (concrete and steel) considerably and was beneficial to environmental impact. The piles were
installedin8monthsthewellfoundationsofthreebridgesacrossthesameriverconstructedinIndiahavetaken
35yearseachtocomplete.
DamagesDuringConstructionGangaBridgeatBhagalpur(4.6km)
The well foundations consist of single circular wells 11.6 m dia. The calculated maximum scour depth was 36 m
belowwaterlevel.Thesoilstrataweresandyuptoabout30mfollowedbyhardstiffclay.Duringconstruction,the
wellsstartedtiltingandtheproblemscontinuedrightthroughthesinking.Despiteextensivechiseling,therateof
sinkingwaspainfullyslow.
Well2Thefoundinglevelwas64.7mbelowthewaterlevel.Therateofsinkingthroughclaywasabout1.5
2cm/hr.3500cranehourswereusedtosinkthewell.
Well 17 The well shifted by 1.86 m. The piers were to be retained at the original position resulting in
excessivemomentsinthewell.Tocounterthemomentscounterweightwasprovidedintheformofadummy
wellsunktoadepthof20mintheadjacentareaandconnectedtothemainwellthroughacommonwellcap.
Well32Thewellshiftedby1150mm.Asimilarsolutionasinwell17wasadopted.
Well4Duringconcretingofcurb,sandleakedfromtheislandandtheentirecurbtiltedandsankby4.5m.A
newsheetpilecofferdamhadtobeerectedandanewwellcurbwascast.Thetotaldelaywasonemonth.
Well 9 the total height of the steining except last 2 m was completed with 7.5 m balance sinking. Due
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presenceofstiffclay,8msumpwasmadetofacilitatesinking.Afterseveralweeks,thewellsuddenlyjumped

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WellFoundationsforBridgesareObsolete!!!

by about 9 m with the top of steining below water level. Work resumed after monsoon. A temporary RC
cofferdam was constructed and the sunk well dewatered to expose and build up further steining. Time loss:
about6months.
Wells 3 & 4 Wells were sunk by about 44 and 37 m before the monsoon season in 1996. The wells were
toppledduetoscouranddisappearedduringthefloods.BasedonanumberoftrialboreswellNo.3wasfound
tilted along the bridge axis. Well No.4 was found on the upstream side along the direction of current. These
wells weighing up to 9900 t could not be restored and were abandoned. New wells were cast and sunk by
changingthespanarrangement.Floatingcaissonswereused.
ExtracostandtimeThecostoncompletionwasRs.106cragainstacceptedtendercostofRs.55cr!Thetime
overrunwas5years!
TiltsandShiftsinWellFoundationsVasaiCreekBridgesNearMumbai
BasseinCreekroadbridgenearMumbai(1970)facedproblemsofheavytiltingofthewellfoundations.Twoofthe
foundationsno.4&6tiltedveryheavilyandallattempttocorrectthetilefailed.Thefoundationswereabandoned
and the design of the bridge was changed to accommodate new foundations and longer spans. The project was
delayedbysixyearswithterminationofthefirstcontract,arbitration,litigation.
Despiteprevioushistoriesoftwobridgesbuiltacrossthesamecreekthatfacedproblemswithwellfoundations,the
samewereagainadoptedforanotherVasaiCreekBridge.Duringconstruction,heavytiltingofwellswasobserved.
Thecorrectivemeasuresforonewellalonetookalmosttwoyearsdelayingcompletionofthefoundationscosting
aboutRs.2crores.
SuddenJumpingofWellsDuringSinking
Sometimes the well sinks suddenly due to excessive sump or weak soil layer and the steining disappears below
waterlevel,makingitdifficulttocontinuefurtherworkonthewellsteining.
In one of the well foundations in a bridge across river Ganga, the total height of steining except last 2 m was
concreted.Thewellwasinthefinalstagesofsteining,withabout7.5mtoreachthefoundinglevel.Asthewellwas
stuckupinstiffclay,effortsweremadetosinkthewellbycreatingasumpofabout8mbelowthecuttingedge.All
ofasuddenthewellsanksuddenlybyabout9mandthetopofsteiningwasbelowthewaterlevelbyabout3.5m.
Rectificationmeasureswereveryexpensiveandtimeconsuming.
GangabridgeatVaranasi:Verystiffclaywasencounteredat25mbelowandsinkingofwellfoundationsNo.3and
5wasverydifficult,didnotmoveforthreemonths.ThenwellNo.3jumpedbyseveralmeterswithoutanywarning
whentwoworkersandonesupervisorweretakingsumpsounding.Thetragicaccidentkilledallthethreepeople.
ThewellNo.5alsojumpedbyabout5mandwassubmergedinthewaterby1m.
ArtesianConditionsDuringConstructionofWellFoundations
NepalBridge(Kohalpur/MahakaliSection)
Artesian conditions were encountered during soil investigations for the Shivganga bridge (8 spans of 32 m). At
locationsP4andP5artesianheadofabout4.3mwasencounteredatabout17mbelowgroundlevel.Thewell
was redesigned with foundation terminating above the artesian layer, resulting in shallow foundations resting on
clay. Due to founding the wells at shallow depth, it was necessary to provide adequate bed protection so as to
preventscour.Thebedprotectionconsistedof:
Upstreamanddownstreamaprons
Cutoffwalls,upstream&downstream
Concretefloor
AnExpensiveSolutionIndeed!!
The completion was delayed by more than one season as the solution was based on an Expert Committee
investigation and report. This led to delay in finalization of the designs and drawings for the foundation well and
necessity of issuing variation orders to cover the items of cutoff walls and bed protection works which were not
envisagedintheoriginalcontract.
GangaBridge,Patna
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The5.6kmlongbridgecomprisesof46spansof120meachrestingon56mdeepwellfoundations(12mdia.).

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WellFoundationsforBridgesareObsolete!!!

Two of the wells in the midstream (Nos. 41 and 45) encountered artesian conditions during the final stages of
sinking There was continuous sand blowing filling the dredge hole to 56 m above the cutting edge. Months of
efforts to sink the well proved futile. A technical advisory committee took about a year for arriving at a solution.
Temporarysteelcofferdamwasbuiltenvelopingthewellandanartificialheadofabout6mofwaterwascreatedto
counteractthesandbubbling.Delay:twoyears
CrackingofWellSteiningDuringConstruction
Crackingofwellsteiningisoneoftheseriousproblemsfacedmanytimesintheconstructionofwellfoundations,
resultingintimeandcostoverruns.Thecausesareusually:
1. Blasting,Dewatering
2. Insufficientsteiningthickness
3. Jumpingduetoexcessivesump
4. Sandblows
5. Surchargeduetodumpingdredgematerialclosetowell.
6. Failureofcuttingedges.
When such cracking occurs, at least one season is lost for the investigation, developing remedial measures,
approvalsofthesameetc.Inthelast45years,theauthorisawareofmorethen200casesofbridgesconstructed
by various construction agencies, where the dredge hole of well has to be filled with concrete due to cracks in
steining.

Figure4:PasighatBridge,AP

During well sinking of Tapi Bridge, Maharashtra, hard strata was met. Due to

Figure5:PasighatBridge,Boulderdredged
duringwellsinking

blasting,extensivecracksdevelopedinsteiningsNewsteiningshadtobeconstructedinsidethewells.Theoriginal
contractperiodwasfouryears.Attemptsweremadeforfiveyearstosinkthewells.Workwassuspendedforfive
years for want of decision to revise the founding level. An expert committee ultimately recommended raising the
foundationlevelofwellsbymorethan20mThebridgewascompletedafterfourteenyears.Thecontractorsuffered
lossesduetothedelays.Theownersufferedsubstantiallossesduetotimeoverrun.Delay:10years.
Extraordinary Delays in Construction of Well Foundations Pasighat Bidge, Arunachal Pradesh, 703 m
long
Theprojectstartedin1987andtheconstructionofwellfoundationscontinuedforthenext20years!Asperthe
design,basedonmisleadingsoildata,sixwellsweretobesunktoabout50mbelowbed.Theactualstratamet
with during sinking were hard conglomerate with densely compacted and very large boulders (fig.6) were found
rightfromthebeginningofsinking.After15yearsofstruggletopneumaticallysinkthewellstoRL50m,the
designedfoundinglevelwasdrasticallyraisedby22min2002.
MajorBridges(Worldwide)onPileFoundations
Su Tong Bridge, China : The 6 km long Cablestay bridge crosses Yangtze river near Shangai will carry a six lane
highwaywithemergencylanes,witharecord1088mmainspanand300mhighconcretepylons.Eachtoweris
supportedon131castinsituboredpiles120mlongand2.7mdiameter.Duetostrongcurrents,significantscour
isexpectedaroundthefoundations,andsuitablescourprotectionisprovidedaroundthepylons.Thecentralspan
hasaclearanceof62mforcontainershipstopassthrough.Thebridgeused200,000tofsteel,1millioncumof
concrete.
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StonecuttersBridge,HongKong:The1600mlongStonecuttersBridgeHongKongwithcablestayspanof1018m

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WellFoundationsforBridgesareObsolete!!!

isoneofthelongestintheworld.Thebridgeisfoundedon3.0mdiapiles,upto90mdeep,sockettedintorock.
BandraWorliSeaLinkMumbai:Thesealinkconsistsof5.6kmlong,8lanedbridgewithcablestayedportionof600
m.Thebridgeisfoundedon1.5mdiameterboredpiles.ConcreteforthepilesisM50gradeandforpilecapsisM60.
Silicafumeandflyashareusedforconcretepreparation.
AnalysisbytheFederalHighwayAdministration(FHWA),USA
Morethan100,000bridgeswouldbeconstructedduringthenexttwodecades.Foundationsrepresentabout30%
or more of the cost of the highway bridges. The predominant type of foundation system used for the highway
bridges in the US is pile. Many bridges can tolerate significant magnitudes of a total and differential vertical
settlementwithoutbecomingseriouslyoverstressed
Appreciation
TheIndianBridgeEngineersarebyandlargementallytunedtoprovidingwellfoundationsforbridgesasareflect
actionwhereasitisverynecessarytoanalyzethecomparativemeritsanddemerits,constructiontimeframeand
costofconstructionofbridgeswithwell/pilefoundationsbeforefinallychoosingthetypeoffoundation.Ananalysis
of the history of well foundations during the last five decades indicates innumerable difficulties, delays and cost
overrunsinamajorityofthecases.Realizationofwellfoundationsrequiresspecialskillsandexperiencewhichare
graduallydwindling.
Developmentshavetakenplaceinrespectoflargediameterpilefoundationsaswellasequipmentforthesame.The
timeandcostadvantagesofoptingforpilefoundationshavebeenamplydemonstratedworldwideandtoalimited
extentinIndia.Pilesuptoadiameterof3manddepthofupto120mhavebeenrealizedforanumberofmajor
bridgesworldwide,withcostsavingofupto40%whencomparedtowellfoundations.
ThereiscurrentlynorestrictionintheIRCCoderegardinguseofpilefoundation.However,manyOwnersimpose
restrictionsinthetenderdocuments,withoutanyjustification.Theexamplecitedaboveconcerningtheproblemsof
wellfoundationsamplyjustifiesasecondlookonthechoiceoffoundations.Infact,theuseofwellfoundationsfor
bridgesshouldbeanexceptionratherthantherule.
ChenabRiverBridgeatAkhnoorNearJammu
The project was started in the early Seventies. A .scheme for a 231m long bridge with 5 spans (3x46+2x46.5)
upstreamofexistingsteelbridgewasoriginallyconceived.Theschemeinvolvedconstructionoffivewellfoundations
in the volatile Chenab River, to be sunk through difficult strata hard conglomerate, in spite of insurmountable
difficultieselsewhereundersimilarcircumstances.Twosuccessivecontractsand30yearslater,theimpossibilityof
sinkingwellsthroughsuchstratawasrealized.

Figure6:ChenabBridgeatAkhnoorLongestSpanCantileverPSCBridge,eliminatedwells

Basedonlateralthinking,itwasdecidedtoabandonthepartlysunkwellsandgoforaschemewithlongercentral
span,eliminatingthewaterfoundationsaltogether.Witha160mcentralspan,boththemainpierfoundationswere
locatedinthedryonthebanks,restingonraftfoundations.Thesefoundationswerecompletedinmonthsinsteadof
decades earlier in unsuccessful attempts to sink wells in water. The abutments consist of hollow box and piers
consistofhollowrectangularsectiononraftfoundations.
Thesuperstructurewasdesignedandconstructedasacontinuouscantileverof280mlength,withacentralspanof
160m(longestinIndiaatthetime).Twopairsofcantilevergantriesweredeployed.Thebridgewiththenewlayout

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eliminatingwellfoundationswascompletedin20months

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Other Records: The Chenab bridge deck was constructed with the shortest time cycle of 6 days consistently
achievedfortheconstructionofeachpairofsegments.Thiswasmadepossiblebyanhighearlystrengthconcrete
which enabled prestressing at 60 hours after concreting. Fe500 steel reinforcement bars were used for the first
time in India in a cantilever construction bridge. The huge Bearings with anchors were located among highly
congested reinforcement normal concrete placement, vibration was impossible. Special Conbextra Grout replaced
normal High Strength Concrete below bearings. Selfcompacting concrete (S.C.C) was used for the first time for
concretebelowthebearings.
SegmentsonbothsidesofthePierwereconcretedsimultaneouslybalancingtheweights.Whenthe22ndsegments
werefacingeachotherandtheshutteringofthe23rdsegmenti.e.thelinkingsegmentwastohavebeenplaced
therewasnoleveldifferenceandthelevelsmatchedonbothtipstothenearestmillimeterbothinplan(centreline)
aswellasinelevation.Thiswaspossiblebecauseeverydaythelevelsweremaintainedbyateamofsurveyorswith
thehelpoftotalstation.TheselevelsweresenttotheDesignconsultantwhomonitoredthesepersonally.Infact,
after the concreting of each pair of segments the levels as actually measured and as envisaged by the designer
fitted almost like a T. This proves that the parameters fixed by the Design consultant and the parameters as
actuallyachievedduringexecutionwerecomplimentingeachother.Thecablesweresoplacedthatalmostallthe
cableswerestraightandwithoutanycurve.Thusprestressingresultswereexactlyasshowninapproveddrawings
bothintermsofextensionandgaugepressure.

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