FIP OUTSTANDING STRUCTURE AWARD WINNER

Design-Construction of
Vranov Lake Pedestrian Bridge,
Czech Republic
Both structure and architecture were integrated imaginatively into the
design of the Vranov Lake Pedestrian Bridge by combining the
inherent advantages of precast concrete with both cable-stay and
external cable technology. The design demonstrates how the strength
and durability of concrete can result in a structure of exceptional
lightness and beauty that is also safe and comfortable for pedestrians
and bicyclists. With a ratio of d/1 = 7/630, the deck is one of the most
Jiri Strasky, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor of Concrete Structures
slender structures ever built. The aerodynamic stability of the bridge
Technical University of Brno is provided by the whole structural system, using the geometric
Czech Republic
Consulting Engineers, SHP stiffness of the deck and external cables. An innovative application of
Brno, Czech Republic and
Consulting Engineer post-tensioning technology in the erection of the pylons and deck
Mill Valley, California facilitated a rapid and economical construction schedule with
minimal impact on the environment.
Jiri Strasky is Professor of Concrete
Structures at the Technical University of
Brno, Czech Republic . He also heads
Consulting Engineers, SHP (Strasky, Husty &
n recent years, long-span concrete Republic, the principles of the suspen-

Partners), Brno, and works as a consulting
engineer based in Mill Vall ey, Cal ifornia.
Over the years, Dr. Strasky has been
recogni zed for his innovative concepts in the
des ign of long span concrete bridges and
other structures. He received an Outstanding
Structure Award from the Federation
lnternationale de Ia Precontrainte (FIP) for his
design of the Vranov Lake Pedestrian Bridge.
Currently, he serves as Vice President (Czech
Republic) of the FIP.
I
bridges have been designed pre-
dominantly as cantilever or cable-
stayed structures. For long-span
bridges intended for use only by
pedestrians or bicyclists, two other
structural types, derived from the old-
est structural type of bridge, are par-
ticularly suitable. These are the
stress-ribbon and suspension type
structures.'-7 In the case of the Vranov
Lake Pedestrian Bridge in the Czech
sion type structure were used.
The bridge is located in a beautiful,
wooded recreation area where Lake
Vranov was created by a dam in the
1930s (see Figs. 1 and 2). The structure
replaced a ferry service carrying people
between a public beach on one side of
Swiss Bay and hotel accommodations,
restaurants and shops located on the
other side. The structure was also de-
signed to carry water and gas conduits.

60 PCI JOURNAL
Fig. 1 . Aerial view of Vranov Lake Pedestrian Bridge.

DEVELOPMENT OF
STRUCTURAL SYSTEM
The pedestrian bridge was planned
to connect with the existing roads used
by pedestrians and bicyclists that lead
from the village to the shore of the
bay, and on the opposite side, from the
beach into the wooded hills. The level
of the water at the shoreline made it
difficult and expensive to construct
piers within the lake on which to sup-
port the bridge structure.
To avoid erecting piers, a main span
with a horizontal clearance of 250 m
(820 ft) between supports was re-
quired. Because the structure had to be
sufficiently high above the surface of
the lake (vertical clearance) to permit
the free movement of sail boats be- Fig. 2. Comp leted bridge showing graceful lines of structure.
neath the deck, the alignment of the
deck is in a vertical curve.
Four types of structures were stud- Longitudinal Arrangement to form the deck with an open stiffen-
ied as possible solutions for spanning One possible problem identified ing steel tru ss of sufficient torsional
the Swiss Bay. A cantilever structure early in the evaluation of the concept and bending stiffness 9 (see Fig. Sa).
was considered much too heavy (see was the large effects of wind on sus- However, such a system was consid-
Fig. 3) while a steel tied arch was pension bridges. The bridge was de- ered to be too heavy and inappropriate
thought to be too imposing for the signed to resist a wind velocity of 133 for this particular bridge.
landscape. In the stay cable solutions, km/hr (82 miles per hour). Problems A deck of streamlined steel box
the pylons towered above the trees. A of vibration and overturning of light girders of the type often used in mod-
suspension bridge produced the pedestrian suspension structures are ern highway suspension bridges 10 (see
proper proportions for the given loca- well documented. 8 Fig . Sb ), usually connected to the
tion (see Fig. 4) and at the same time A typical solution for overcoming main cable at midspan of the main
proved to be economical to construct. vibration and overturning problems is span to eliminate deformation and uti-
November-December 1997 61
Fig. 3 . Structural type study- Cantilever bridge.

Fig. 4. Structural type study- Comparison of arch, cable-stayed and suspension bridge.

lizing stoppers at the ends, was found

a) to be too expensive for a pedestrian
bridge.
Another approach to providing stiff-
ness is to construct a slender concrete
deck and stiffen the structure by a sys-
tem of inclined suspenders (see Fig.
5c). Thi s design approach was con-
ceived and developed by Professor

u
b)
Schlaich from Stuttgart, Germany. 11
The system has been used successfully
in several projects . However , the
maintenance of so many suspenders in
this system becomes a difficult task.
A further approach to making the
deck more slender would be to com-
c)
bine the process with techniques often

lJ used to stabilize utility bridges . In

such cases, the concrete deck is stiff-
ened by the post-tensioning of external
cables with an opposite curvature to
that of the main suspension cables (see
Fig. 5d).
d) After studying all four of these sys-
tems (by combining the pertinent fea-
tures from each) and adapting to criti-
cal constraints imposed by the project
site and the alignment of the bridge, a
novel structural system was developed.
Fig. 5. Four systems for stabilizing of the bridge: (a) truss deck; (b) streamline box The deck could only have one span
deck; (c) incl ined suspenders; (d) cab le of the opposite curvature . in vertical arch alignment. There was
62 PCI JOURNAL
 d)
L.

e)
t,
a
[MP] -t.,
~~ !.c+sh I

--
- '\
2.0

............
I
1.0

I
.I
600 660 700 740 780 Lt[mm]

-+j-_-4-0 _.t- -.-ao-f t. L, [mm]

Fig. 6. Longitudin al arrangement: (a) self anchored system; (b) suspension system; (c) partly self-anchored system; (d) erection of
fl exi bl e member - compression of the bridge deck; (e) stresses in the flexible member- expansion joint.

a)

b)

>@]I:

PLAN

PYLON ELEVATION

Fig. 7. Transverse stiffening of th e bridge: (a) deck suspended on V-shaped pylons; (b) deck stiffened by additional cables; (c) deck
stiffened by bending stiffness.

also little space for the back cables be-
yond the abutments. At fust glance, it
appeared that the structure had to be
formed by an arched deck fixed at the
abutments and partly suspended on
tension cables anchored into the an-
chor blocks by back cables. By con-
necting th e abutments a nd a nchor
blocks, these two basic static systems
- the arch and the suspension cable age of concrete and thermal effects;
- can create a self-anchored system the cables likewise will shorten due to
characterized by purely vertical reac- thermal effects. Thi s creates tension
tions at their supports (see Fig. 6a). stresses in the deck that the concrete
To construct this system, however, cannot withstand.
the dead load would have to be sup- To solve this problem, a partly self-
ported on scaffolding, which could not anchored system in which the arched
be done. Furthermore, the deck arch deck is suspended on the cables and is
will shorten due to creep and shrink- flexibly connected with the abut-

November-December 1997 63
Fig. 8. Architectural design- Elevation.

Fig. 9. Architectural des ign- Plan.

PYLON AND ANCHOR BLOCKS

'-CJ-
- o-

Fig. 10. Architectural design: anchor block and pylon- Transverse elevation.

64 PCI JOURNAL
 ments, which in turn are connected to
the anchor blocks by prestressed con-
crete tie rods, was developed (see Fig.
6c). For this system to be workable, it
was necessary to first build the cables
and then suspend the deck on them
(see Fig. 6b).
The flexible members (expansion
joints) are formed by tartan plates that
were pressed against the already erected
structure with an erection segment and
jacks (see Fig. 6d). After compression
was developed, the space between the
abutment and the erection segment was
filled with concrete and the segment
was connected with the abutment. Fig. 12. Architectural mode l of bridge.
The amount of compression was de-
termined so that under the maximum
shortening of the deck due to creep and is resisted by both the compression ca- nificant changes in the stresses. Be-
shrinkage of concrete and temperature pacity of the concrete deck and by the cause the plates are always under
change, a minimum compression of tension capacity of the suspension ca- compression, they are also waterproof
0.5 MPa (73 psi) remains in the joint bles . Because the expansion tartan and can serve both as flexible mem-
(see Fig. 6e). In this way, the tension joints exhibit nonlinear behavior, the bers and expansion joints.
from the suspension cables partially portion of the load resisted by the deck
post-tensions the deck and creates a and the cables depends on the temper-
system where compression stresses in ature and the age of the structure. Transverse Stiffening
the deck stiffen the whole structure. Tests conducted by the contractor The required 3.40 m (11 ft) width be-
For live load, temperature changes, for the bridge verified the excellent tween the railings given by the Czech
and effects of wind, the structure properties of the tartan plates. They Standard and service requirements re-
forms a closed system where the load allow large deformations without sig- sults in a very narrow deck for such a

PYLON AND ANCHOR BLOCKS

ELEVATION

Fig. 11 . Architectural design: anchor block and pylon- Longitudinal elevation.

November-December 1997 65
 I
3.40 + 6.60
3.40

a) b)

stiffening cable

TYPICAl SECTION

TYPICAL SECTION

Fig. 13 . Tra nsverse stiffen ing of the bridge- Study for utility: (a) deck stiffened by additional cab les; (b) deck stiffened by bending
stiffness.

30.0 252.0 30.0

Fig. 14. Longitudinal section of the bridge.

PYLON AND ANCHOR B.LOCKS

section E-E

1.50 t

tartan plates
external cable

20.50
30.00 252.00
LONGrTUOINAl. SECTION

Fig. 15 . Pylon , abutment and anchor blocks. For Sections A-A, B-B, C-C and 0-D, see next page .

66 PCI JOURNAL
long span. Calculations made to deter-
mine the stresses on the bridge due to
wind indicated that these stresses were
very large and that it might be necessary
to stiffen the structure in the horizontal
direction . Three feasible ways to ac-
complish such stiffening were devised:
• Suspend the deck on cables sup-
ported on open V-shaped pylons. In
this plan, the cables provide stiffen-
ing against horizontal movement
(see Fig. 7a).
• Suspend the deck on ca bles an-
chored from the top of triangular-
shaped supports and stiffen it by two
additional cables led in two inclined
planes of the opposite curvature (see
Fig. 7b). These cables would be
connected with the deck by addi-
tional suspenders and anchored at Fig. 16. Geometry of the deck.
the bottoms of both pylons.
• Widen the deck from mid span to-
ward the pylons, which would in- priate for the site conditions. On the a widened deck was adopted for the
crease the bending stiffness of the other hand, the A-shaped pylon natu- final design.
deck in the transverse direction (see rally decreases in mass from the bot-
Fig. 7c). This widening, compared tom to the top and creates a feeling of
ARCHITECTURAL AND
with widening the dec k to the safety for users of the bridge. Increas-
midspan, brings only an insignifi- ing the deck stiffness eliminates a STRUCTURAL SOLUTION
cant increase in load. number of complicated connection de- The architectural design was devel-
The V-shaped pylon with mass con- tails of cables with the deck . There- oped from detailed studies (see Figs. 8
centrated at the top seemed inappro- fore, an A-shaped pylon together with through II ). The author was looking

PYLON AND ANCHOR BLOCKS

section A -A

section B-B section C-C

9 .7 5

Fig. 15(cont.). Sections A-A, B-B, C-C and D-D of bridge on previo us page.

November-December 1997 67
 clined suspension cables of three

1 spans 30, 252 and 30 m (98, 826 and

b)
a)
/p
Fig . 17. Post-tensioning of the pylon: (a) bending moments due to dead load ; (b)
cable layout and equivalent forces ; (c) bending moments due prestress.
for a structural solution in which the
deck, its width and the shape of the
pylon create natural , simple curves
that blend into the surrounding land-
scape (see Fig. 12). Aesthetic unity
with the countryside was also accented
by making all the suspenders and py-
lons perpendicular to the curved
bridge axis.
It was also felt that the water and
gas conduits suspended on the deck
would not only damage the architec-
tural aesthetics of the bridge, but
c)
would also complicate the mainte-
nance (see Fig. 13a). Fortunately, the
designer was successful in advocating
the division of one large pipe into two
smaller pipes for the water and gas
conduits. This facilitated placing the
conduits on outer cantilevers on the
edges of the slender deck beyond the
railings. The conduits were covered by
steel plates to create an aerodynami-
cally stable structure (see Fig. 13b).
A very slender deck only 400 mm
(15.7 in.) deep is suspended on two in-
98 ft) long. The cables are deviated in
steel saddles situated at the di-
aphragms of the concrete pylons and
anchored in anchor blocks (see Figs.
14 and 15). The pull from the cables is
transferred into the ground by rock an-
chors. The anchor blocks and the abut-
ments are mutually connected by pre-
stressed concrete ties.
Because the deck is in the vertical
arch alignment, the designer was look-
ing for a curve of the plan widening
that together with the vertical curva-
ture creates simple smooth curves. It
was decided to use the simplest curve,
namely , a circle (see Fig. 16). The
outer edges of the deck form two cir-
cles situated in two inclined planes.
Their vertical and horizontal projec-
tions are ellipses. The vertical and hor-
izontal curvatures allow for stabilizing
the structure by stiffening cables situ-
ated within the edges of the deck; the
cables pass across the expansion joints
and are anchored at the end abutments.
The function of these cables is similar
to that shown in Figs. 5d and 7b.

DECK 3.40 + 6.60

LD
0

0
o::t

stiffening cable prestressing cable

+-~8~3~+~60~+-----------
3._
64_+~6~.8~4----------4+-6~0~+~8~3-+
6.50 + 9.70

3.00 3.00 3.00

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

Fig. 18. Deck : typical cross section and longitudinal section.

68 PCI JOURNAL
 The deck is suspended at its outer
edges on 3.00 m (9.8 ft) hangers that
are perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis. The deck is supported on both
ends by two multi-directional pot
bearings situated on the diaphragms
of the pylons. The horizontal forces
due to wind are transferred by steel
shear keys.
The main cables are formed by 2 x
108- 15 mm (0.6 in.) diameter strands
grouted in steel tubes. This configura- ELEVATION

tion was derived from past experience

with cable-stayed bridges where the
stays were formed by strands grouted
in steel tubes . 12·' 3 In the case of the
cable-stayed bridges, the construction
sequence was designed so that the
steel tubes and the cement mortar used
for the grouting are prestressed and act
PLAN
to transfer the stay tension due to live
load and temperature changes. Fig. 19. Model used for calculations- Elevation and plan.
The strands were tensioned before
grouting . When the cement mortar
reached 50 percent of its strength and
the closing joints of the steel tubes
were welded, the tension in the whole
stay cable was released. The prestress-
ing force was so high that when it was
released, there was no residual tension
in the mortar even under full live load.
This arrangement not only increases the
fm = 0.298 Hz
stiffness of the bridge but also reduces
the fatigue stresses on the strands. The
stays were carefully tested not only for
loading by axial force but also for load-
ing by a local bending mom~nt.
A similar arrangement was used for
the suspension cables of the bridge.
The increased tension in the strands
was created by temporary loading of
the already erected structure. Before t,., =0.431 Hz
casting the joints between the seg-
ments, the deck was loaded by radial
forces caused by the tension of the ex-
ternal and internal cables temporarily
anchored at the abutments. After
grouting the suspension cables, the
closure joints between the steel tubes
were welded and the tension of the
post-tensioning cables was released. In
this way, compression stresses in the
cement mortar and steel tubes were f171 =0.789 Hz
created (see Fig. 2lf).
The cables are fixed-connected to
the deck at midspan. The hangers are
formed from 30 mm (1.2 in.) diameter
solid steel rods pin-connected to the
deck and main suspension cables. Fig. 20 . First vertical , horizontal and torsional natural modes and frequencies.

November-December 1997 69
 The inclined pylons have an A-
shape with curved legs connected by
top and bottom diaphragms. The legs
of the pylon were post-tensioned by
draped cables to balance the bending
stresses due to the curvature of the
legs (see Fig. 17). During the erection
of the structure, the pylons were sup-
ported by pins; after erection, the py-
lons were cast in the footings. The an-
chor blocks protruding above grade
were post-tensioned to the anchor
foundation slabs by prestressing rods
where rock anchors are anchored.
a)
d)
el
Fig. 21 . Construction sequences: (a) first stage pylon raising using temporary towers ; (b) and (c) second stage pylon raising; (d)
erection of main suspension cable tubes; (e) erection of deck segments; (f) deck tendons stressed- before grouting of the strands
of main suspension cables.
70
The deck was assembled from pre-
cast double tee segments stiffened by
diaphragms at the joints (see Fig. 18).
The 3.00 m (9.8 ft) long segments
have a variable width corresponding to
the variable width of the bridge deck.
The two end segments are solid. Steel
pipe conduits for gas and water lines
were placed on the outer, but not mu-
tually connected, overhangs.
The deck was post-tensioned by
four internal tendons and stiffened by
two external tendons. The internal ca-
bles of 12 - 15 mm (0.6 in.) diameter
strands are threaded through the whole
deck and anchored at the end seg-
ments. The solid end segments were
also post-tensioned by prestressing
rods. The external cables were formed
by 2 x 108 - 15 mm (0.6 in.) diameter
strands grouted in high density
polyethylene tubes.
STATIC AND
DYNAMIC ANALYSIS
The bridge was analyzed for both
the static and dynamic load as a geo-
PCI JOURNAL
metrically nonlinear structure. For
erection analysis, the bridge was ana-
lyzed as a three-span perfectly flexible
cable. For analysis under service
loads , it was analyzed as a geometri-
cally nonlinear three-dimensional
frame structure with the deck modeled
by the two edge girders and transverse
diaphragms , the suspension cables,
hangers and external cables by bars.
The model used in the calculations ex-
pressed the real boundary conditions
and stiffening of the structure by ex-
ternal cables (see Fig. 19).
The dynamic response of the struc-
ture due to movement of people and
wind was carefully analyzed. Fig. 20
shows the first vertical , horizontal and
torsional natural modes and frequen-
cies. Because of the low frequencies
(the first 12 natural frequencies corre-
sponding to vertical modes are under
the walking frequency of 2 Hz) , the
bridge proved not to be sensitive to
pedestrian loading. Even the loading
Fi g. 22. Raisin g of the pylon (second stage).
November-December 1997
imposed by "vandals" (a group of peo-
ple trying to make the bridge vibrate
in an eigenmode) caused negligible ef-
fects with an amplitude of several
millimeters.
The dynamic response to maximum
wind load [at v = 37m/s (121 ft per
sec)] reaches an amplitude of A = 40.7
mm (1.6 in.) in the horizontal plane at
the third mode with the frequency
0.431 Hz and peak acceleration a11!S =
0.35 m/s 2 (1.15 ft per sec 2). This value
is also less than the permissible accel-
eration of ams, per = 0.50 m/s 2 ( 1.64 ft
per sec 2) considered for critical speed.
Because it is nearly impossible to use
the bridge in this severe wind , this
value has only a theoretical value.
When the wind speed is about 10 m/s
(33 ft per sec), the acceleration is a ms
= 0.018 m/s 2 (0.059 ft per sec2) , which
is much less than the permissible ac-
celeration of ams,per = 0.25 m/s 2 (0.82
ft per sec 2) considered for this speed.
Aerodynamic stability of the struc-
Fig. 23 . Securing of the pylon.
ture was also carefully studied. The
structure proved to be stable from the
viewpoint of vortex shedding and gal-
loping. The aerodynamic flutter sus-
ceptibility was checked by approxi-
mate formulas published in Refs. 14
and 15. Because the calculated critical
wind velocities were relatively low-
from 23.5 to 45.5 m/s (77 to 149ft per
sec) -the stability of the bridge was
checked in the wind tunnel on the full
aeroelastic model built in the scale
1:130. Measurements from these tests
confirmed the aerodynamic stability of
the structure. 16
CONSTRUCTION
PROCEDURE
The methods of erection were devel-
oped by the contractor. The most im-
portant phases were construction of
the pylons, erection of the suspension
cables and assemb ly of the deck (see
Fig. 21).
71
Fig. 24. Main suspension cab les before the erection of the deck.
Fig. 25. Suspension of a segment on the main suspension cables.
Figs. 22 through 28 show the various
erection stages of the bridge structure.
Construction began with the casting
of the anchor blocks and end abut-
ments, followed by installation of the
ground anchors. Some of the rock an-
chors and prestressing rods of the an-
chor blocks were tensioned. The py-
lon s were cast in the horizontal
position and were raised to the design
upright position in two stages.
In the first stage, the pylons were
raised to a partially upright position by
the tension pull of the short vertical
cables anchored at the tops of the py-
lons and temporary towers (see Fig.
21a). The cables were pulled by hy-
draulic jacks supported by steel anchor
72
members situated on the steel girders,
transferring the load to the towers . As
the pylons were being raised, the tops
of the pylon s moved in the circle
curves, the steel anchor members had
to move in a horizo ntal direction .
Therefore, Teflon pads were placed
between these steel members and the
girders.
In the second stage, the pylons were
raised into their fi nal design position
by the tension pull of the cables an-
chored at their tops (see Figs. 21 b and
2lc). The erection cables spanning the
bay were pulled by hydraulic jacks. At
first, the cables were tensioned so that
tension in the cables balanced the dead
load of the partially upright pylons.
Fig. 26. Structure during the erection of
the deck.
Then, the temporary towers were re-
moved and the first pylon was raised
into the final position by the tension
pull caused by the jacks situated at the
second pylon. When the position of
the first pylon was secured by the tem-
porary cables, the second pylon was
raised by the tension pull caused by
the jacks situated at the first pylon.
Then, its position was secured.
The cables used for raising the py-
lon s were also used in erecting the
steel tubes of the main suspension ca-
ble s through which strands were
threaded. The tubes with suspenders
were suspended on the erection cables
and moved along them to the final de-
sign position (see Fig. 2ld). The main
PCI JOURNAL
Fig. 27. End view of structure showing erection progress of deck.

suspension cables comprised six ca-

bles of 18 - 15 mm (0.6 in.) diameter
strands that were threaded through the
tubes the whole length of 300 m (984
ft) by a special device developed for
this purpose.
The erection scheme for the deck
was based on the method used for
erection stress ribbon bridges where
precast seg ments are being shifted
along the bearing cables into the de-
sign position.'-• The deck was progres-
sively assembled in sets of 15 seg-
ments (seg ment by seg ment) from
midspan toward both abutments.
First, an erected segment was sus-
pended on the erection truck that was
moving on temporary cables anchored
at the abutments. Using the tension
pull of the erection cables, the truck
with the segment was moved to the
final design position, where the seg-
ment was pin-connected to the already
erected structure and hung onto the
main suspension cables (see Fig. 21e).
During the erection of the first seg-
ment, the temporary cables were sus-
pended on the main suspension cables
at midspan; during erection of all the Fig. 28 . Suspension cables hold ing deck.

November-December 1997 73
Fig. 29. Loading test of bridge structure.
other segments, the temporary cables
were supported by low movable tow-
ers situated at the face of the erected
structure. The shape of the deck was
continually changing from a concave
design curve to a convex design curve
in accordance with the deformation of
the main suspension cables and the
length of the hangers.
During erection of the segments, the
remaining prestressing rods of the an-
chor blocks and the ground anchors
were post-tensioned to balance the
pull of the main suspension cables,
which increased during erection of the
bridge. After the segments had been
placed and connected, both the inter-
nal and external tendons were ten-
sioned (fr = 0.7J;,) and temporarily an-
chored into the abutments (see Fig.
Fig. 30 . Pedestrians and bicyclists enjoy the beautiful scenery around the bridge.
74
2lf). The steel tubes of the main cable
were then welded and grouted.
Compression stresses were generated
on the cement mortar and steel tubes
when the tension of the internal and ex-
ternal tendons was released. Then, the
internal cables were cut and their an-
chors were transferred to the end seg-
ments. Finally, the joints between the
segments were cast and the deck was
post-tensioned by internal cables and
rods anchored at the end segments.
The tartan expansion joints were
placed between the end segments and
the special abutment segments. Com-
pression was created in the tartan
joints using hydraulic jacks to press
the abutment segments against the tar-
tan members and the already erected
structure. When the design compres-
sion was reached, the abutment seg-
ments were connected with the abut-
ments. Then, the external cables were
again tensioned (J; = 0.3fu) and an-
chored at the end abutments.
The completed structure was
checked by detailed static (see Fig. 29)
and dynamic tests that verified both
the high quality workmanship and the
accuracy of the design assumptions.
Construction of the bridge started in
the spring of 1991 and was finished in
the spring of 1993. Because of the
recreation season from June to the
middle of September and severe win-
ter conditions, construction could take
place only during the spring and au-
tumn months. The cost of the bridge
was about $1,000,000 at the time of
completion.
CONCLUDING
REMARKS
Although the Vranov Lake Pedes-
trian Bridge has a very slender deck,
pedestrians and bicyclists feel no un-
pleasant bridge motion when walking
or standing and admiring the sur-
rounding landscape. The bridge is
widely used not only for crossing the
Swiss Bay, but also as a meeting place
and for the sport of bungee jumping
(see Figs. 30 and 31).
The structural system used in the
design of the bridge proved to be safe,
economic and minimally disrupting to
the surrounding environment. The ar-
chitectural design that was developed
from careful structural studies has also
PCI JOURNAL
Fig. 31. View of completed structure.
been well received. Indeed, the design
of the bridge received an Outstanding
Structure A ward from the Federation
Internationale de la Precontrainte at
the XII FIP Congress/40th PCI Annual
Convention in Washington , D.C., in
1994.
The structural design of the main sus-
pension cables, which was developed
from the technology of modem stay and
external cables, has proven to be very
efficient and economical. As a member
of the engineering design staff of T.Y.
Lin International, San Francisco, Cali-
fornia, the author completed the design
study of the strengthening of the Mid-
Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie, New
York, in which the scheme employing
the stay technology for suspension ca-
bles was the most economical choice of
four schemes investigated. The author
continues to develop stress ribbon struc-
tures stiffened by external cables and
arches. At present, a similar suspension
structure, which was designed by
OBEC, Consulting Engineers, Eugene,
Oregon, and the author, is being built
across the WiJliamette River in Eugene.
CREDITS
Design: Jiri Strasky, Consulting Engi-
neer, SHP Brno and Mill Valley ,
California
Construction Management: Ilja Husty,
SHP Brno, Czech Republic
Construction Documentation: Jaroslav
Jordan and Miroslav Spudil, Do-
pravni Stavby & Masty , Olomouc,
Czech Republic
November-December 1997
Checking : Marie Studnickova,
Klokner Institute CVUT, Prague,
Czech Republic
Wind Tunnel Test: Miroslav Pirner,
Prague, Czech Republic
Contractor: Dopravni Stavby &
Mosty, Olomouc, Czech Republic
REFERENCES
I. Strasky , J. , " Precas t Stress-Ribbon
Pedestrian Bridges in Czechoslo-
vakia," PCI JOURNAL, V. 32, No. 3,
May-June 1987, pp. 52-73.
2. Redfield , C., and Strasky , J. ,
"S tressed Ribbon Pedestrian Bridge
Across the Sacramento River in Red-
ding, California, USA," L'lndustria
/taliana del Cementa , No. 663, Rome,
Italy, 1992.
3. Strasky, J., "S tress-Ribbon and Sus-
pension Pedestrian Bridges," Sympo-
si um on Modern Prestressing Tech-
niques and Their Application, Kyoto,
Japan, 1993 .
4. Redfield, C. , and Strasky, J. , "Sacra-
mento River Pedestrian Bridge,"
ASCE Structural Congress, Chicago,
IL, 1996.
5 . Strasky, J. , " Precast Stress-Ribbon
and Suspen sion Pedestrian Bridges ,"
lASS Symposium , Milan , Italy ,
1995.
6. Strasky , 1. , "Suspension Pedestrian
Bridge Across the Swiss Bay of Vra-
nov Lake," Space & Society, No. 67,
Milan, Italy, 1994.
7. Strasky, J. , "Architecture of Bridges as
Developed from the Structural Solu-
tion," Proceedings, XII FIP Congress/
40th PCI Annual Convention, Wash-
ington , D.C. , 1994.
8. Podolny, W ., and Scalzi, J. B., Con-
struction and Design of Cable-Stayed
Bridges, John Wiley & Sons, New
York, NY, 1976.
9. Endo, T. , Tada, K., and Ohashi, H.,
"Development of Suspension Bridges
-Japanese Experience with Emphasis
on the Akashi Kaiko Bridge," Confer-
ence on Cable-Stayed and Suspension
Bridges, Deauville, France, 1994.
10. Ostenfeld, K. H. , "From Little Belt to
Great Belt ," Conference on Cable-
Stayed and Suspension Bridges,
Deauville, France, 1994.
II. Schlaich, J., and Schober, H. , "A Sus-
pended Pedestrian Bridge Crossing the
Neckar River Near Stuttgart," Confer-
ence on Cable-Stayed and Suspension
Bridges, Deauville, France, 1994.
12. Strasky, J. , Korenek, M. , and Mencl,
V., "The Cable-Stayed Bridge Across
the River Elbe near Podebrady," L 'In-
dustria ltaliana del Cementa, No. 649,
Rome, Italy, 1990.
13. Strasky, J. , "Design and Construction
of Cable-Stayed Bridges in the Czech
Republic ," PCI JOURNAL , V. 38,
No. 6, November-Decembe r 1993,
pp. 24-43.
14. "Bridge Aerodynamics - Proposed
British Design Rules," Proceedings,
Conference of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, London , England, March
25-26, 1981.
15. KJoppel , K. , and Thiele, P. , " Model-
lversuche im Windkanal bur Bemusing
von Brucken gegen die Gefahr winder-
regter Schingungen ," Der Stahlbau,
Heft J 2, 1967.
16. Pirner, M. , "Stress-Ribbon Pedestrian
Bridge Spanning 252 m," Symposium
on Straight Crossings '94, Alesund,
Norway, June 1994.
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