CASE STUDIES ON EXTRADOSED BRIDGES WORLDWIDE

WORKSHOP
ON
“LONG SPAN BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION”
Venue:
National Academy of Construction Jan 31 – Feb 1, 2020
Madhapur, Hyderabad

DR. HARSHAVARDHAN SUBBARAO

VICE PRESIDENT, IABSE ZURICH

CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR

INDIAN NATIONAL GROUP OF THE CONSTRUMA CONSULTANCY PVT. LTD.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION h.subbarao@construma.in info@construma.in
FOR BRIDGE AND STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERING
 Dr. HARSHAVARDHAN SUBBARAO
BE (Civil), MSE (USA), Ph.D. (UK), DIC
CMD, CONSTRUMA CONSULTANCY PVT LTD
Vice President of IABSE, Zurich.
h.subbarao@construma.in info@construma.in

Harshavardhan Subbarao, holds a Ph.D. from Imperial College, London

and M.S. Eng. from Univ. of Michigan. He has been designer of a number
of Landmark projects such as Signature Cable Stayed Bridge, Delhi; 4.6km
Rail-cum-Road Bridge, Patna; Bridge No. 20 on JURL; metros, viaducts,
elevated roads, arch and extradosed bridges, underpasses etc. He has been
involved in Repair and Rehabilitation of more than 30 numbers of bridges
including Balanced cantilevers of Kali, Zuari river, Borim bridge and
Nizamuddin Bridge, Painthal nallah etc. He is Vice President and member
of the Technical Committee of IABSE, Zurich, and Chair of its Bulletin
Edit Board, and serves on Several committees of IRC, BIS, fib and various
International and National bodies. He has over 30 years of experience
and a number of papers and bridge projects to his credit.
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 EXTRADOSED BRIDGES IN INDIA

• A number of them are expected to be built in the coming decade.

• Built including the multi span Nivedita Setu, Ganga Bridge between Arrah
and Chhapra, Siddapura Bridge
• Under construction include Kacchi Dargah Bridge, Ganga Bridge (between
Sultanganj and Aguwani Ghat), Mandovi Bridge, Narmada Bridge, Ganga
Bridge at Phaphamau near Allahabad (bids called) and many more are under
construction. 3 CONSTRUMA CONSULTANCY PVT. LTD.
• Extradosed bridges are a very promising choice for medium span
bridges (with spans from 100 m up to 250 m) because they consist of

• a lightweight stay system for permanent loads (similar to traditional

cable-stayed bridges) and

• a stiffening girder in order to control deflections and dynamic

accelerations (similar to major suspension bridges).

• Extradosed bridges do not require massive anchorage structures

such as earth-anchored suspension bridges.

• They are very adaptive to various site conditions allowing a

continuous superstructure type with no or fewer stays in shorter spans.

• Constant superstructure cross sections reduce construction time and

cost for long bridges with multiple spans if proven superstructure
erection techniques are applied.

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• Before starting the analysis of the bridge, the designer has to
make decisions, not only regarding the size and general layout of
spans, pylons height, and cables disposition, but also regarding the
percentage of the permanent load that will be resisted by the stay
system, and the influence of the construction sequence to achieve
that goal.
• As an intermediate structural type between a cable-stayed bridge
and a continuous classic girder, the design of an Extradosed Bridge
is generally subject to interpretation within that range by the
designer.
• As a result the analysis of an Extradosed Bridge combines analysis
considerations from both those types of bridges
The following aspects, however, make the analysis of an
Extradosed Bridge different:
1. Initial State and relation of deck pre-stress to stay tensioning.
2. Safety considerations for Extradosed Bridges.
3. Stay cable design.
4. Dynamics of cables.

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The Erection Engineering governs the design of major bridges and
requires an in-depth investigation of relevant construction stages.

Therefore right from conceptual design stage, Erection Engineering

should be taken into consideration and involves much knowledge about
various erection techniques, processes, and state-of-the-art construction
equipment.

• In each Extradosed bridge we find at least two structural

systems: a beam superstructure system and a self-anchored
stay system.

• There is a trend to activate even a third structural system such

as a frame system if expansion joints can be avoided and piers
are monolithically connected to the superstructure.

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SALIENT FEATURES OF EXTRADOSED BRIDGES:
From the collected data of 241 Extra Dosed Bridges worldwide
• 59% have two Pylons.
• 19% have one Pylon.
• 22% have three or more Pylons.
• Longest main span: 312 m (Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge).
• Shortest main span: 43.5 m (Viaduct over the S8 Expressway in
Olesnica).
• Longest multi-span EDB: 9759 m (Kacchi Dargah Bridge, completion
expected 2022).
• Highest pylon above bridge deck level: 57 m (New Yanggang
Bridge).
• Lowest pylon above bridge deck level: 3.2 m (Deba River Bridge).
• Widest bridge deck: 61 m (Guijiugou Bridge).
• Narrowest bridge deck: 7.7 m (Hinase Bridge).
The world´s leading countries in building Extradosed Bridges are China and
Japan followed by Europe and India
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Typical dimensions of the Box Girder, Extradosed and Cable Stayed Bridges

Typical Extradosed Bridge and its geometric properties

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GEOMETRIC PROPERTIES:
 Length of Main Span

With One Pylon

With Two Pylons

With Three or
more Pylons
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 Main Span to Pylon Height Ratio:

With One Pylon

With Two Pylons

With Three or
more Pylons

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 Main Span to Pylon Height Ratio with Pylon as a Function of
Main Span:

With One Pylon

With Two Pylons

With Three or
more Pylons

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 Side Span to Main Span Ratio:

With One Pylon

With Two Pylons

With Three or
more Pylons

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 Girder Depth:

Slenderness at
centre of Main
Span

Slenderness at
Pier

Slenderness at
Haunching

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 Cable Interval:

Cable spacing of
All Extradosed
Bridges

Cable spacing of
All Extradosed
Bridges as a
Function of Main
Span

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SELECT CASE STUDIES:
• Selected Extradosed Bridges around the world are presented here.

• Extradosed Bridges are highly diverse in terms of dimensions, forms and

materials.

• Also there is no clear distinction between Extradosed and cable-stayed

bridges.

• Beginning with the mother of modern Extradosed Bridges, the Odawara

Blueway Bridge, interesting bridges with one, two or more pylons in
longitudinal direction are presented.

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ONE PYLON - XIANSHENHE VALLEY BRIDGE, CHINA - (2009)

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 • The main pier was placed in the
valley bottom.

• The Box depth is 11m on top of pier

and 4m at cantilever tip.

• The Box segment of 4m long and

built by Cantilever Cast-in-situ
Construction.

• The main pier is Octagon shaped

with wall Thickness of 1.5m.

• Internal Stay for Pier wall and

stiffening ring beams are used in
hollow pier to resist floating load
during flood.

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TWO PYLONS - ODAWARA BLUEWAY BRIDGE, JAPAN - (1994)

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 • First Application of Extradosed
Bridge in the World.

• To assure allowable amplitude of

Stay Cables Vibration, High
damping Rubber Damper was
developed.

• The Saddle on top of Pylon has

anchorages on both sides to avoid
slipping of stay cables during
earthquake.

• Epoxy Coated Strands were used

to make Stay Cables and Polymer
Cement Grout was also used on it
to resist the Tension.
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TWO PYLONS - TEROR VIADUCT, SPAIN - (2011)

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• The deck is rigidly fixed to the pier. The ‘V’ shaped Pylons laterally ‘embrace’
the deck, forming a monolithic whole, as they extend above.

• The Deck depth ranges from 2.57m to 5.07m and the free standing height of
pylons is 15m.

• The cables supporting the deck penetrate through the towers without
considering friction under construction and are locked in service to withstand
the effect produced by differential forces in the stays on both sides of the
saddles due the traffic load.
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• The Stay Cables were made out of individual wax-wrapped galvanized steel
strands embedded in individual high-density polyethylene casings which
were grouped into high-density polyethylene sheaths, between pylon and
anchor.

• The deviation pipes embedded in the pylons were injected with wax.

• The deck was built using balanced cantilever system starting from the two
piers.
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MULTIPLE PYLONS-ST CROIX RIVER CROSSING STILLWATER,
USA - (2017)

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• A 1024m four-lane bridge of Extradosed precast segmental concrete with 4
main spans of 182m.

• The bridge incorporates rounded organic shapes and the Extradosed Bridge is
continuous end to end.

• The five main pylons utilize thin twin wall legs beneath the deck to provide
flexibility necessary to absorb longitudinal time dependent and thermal
displacements of the deck.

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 • The deck consist of twin 5.5m deep
three cell precast post-tensioned
segmental box girders connected
by a cast in place concrete stitch
along the centre of the roadway
deck.

• The two planes of Extradosed

cables are anchored in concrete
corbels on the outer edges of the
deck and on steel anchor boxes cast
into and composite with the tops of
the main pylons.

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Signature Cable Stayed Bridge - DELHI

h.subbarao@construma.in

Thank you!