UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

A THIRD YEAR PROJECT PROPOSAL IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR A BSc Hons CIVIL ENGINEERING

DESIGN OF A PEDESTRIAN FOOTBRIDGE, ACROSS GWANDA

ROAD SELBOURNE PARK, BULAWAYO.

BY
TEDDY CHIHANYA

R165465W
EMAIL: Tedchihanya@gmail.com
SUPERVISORS: ENG MARINDIKO
ENG JAMBWA
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The world faces today the big challenge of traffic accidents that harvest annually
millions of human lives[CITATION Muh18 \l 1033 ]. The consequences of these traffic
accidents do not only affect the victims or their families, but extend to the impact
the community and its progress[ CITATION Muh18 \l 1033 ]. Pedestrian bridges are
structures made for allowing pedestrians to cross a street/road/highway without
being exposed to the risks of car accidents. A pedestrian bridge is any structure that
removes pedestrians from vehicle roadway[ CITATION Muh18 \l 1033 ]. A bridge is a
structure that provides passage over an obstacle such as valley, rough terrain or
body of water by spanning those with natural or manmade materials[ CITATION
Muh18 \l 1033 ].

According to Mugu (2004) a footbridge or pedestrian bridge is principally

designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders
rather than vehicular traffic. The main victims of hit and run by vehicles and bike
riders especially at night have been the students living on and off campus of
NUST. Thus this development necessitates the design and construction of a
pedestrian bridge across the Gwanda highway.

This research study was to design a pedestrian steel bridge at NUST across
Gwanda Expressway so as to provide a safer and easy route for the users,
especially students and also to reduce accident rate. The work involved the
feasibility study of the chosen sections such as soil analysis, design of the
structural components of the bridge, (beams, floorplate, column and foundation)
which were designed to British Standard (BS5400, BS 5950, BS 8110).

1.1 Background

Bridges are often the critical links in pedestrian and bicycle networks, and they
can be the most visible and expensive infrastructure elements in the path
system[ CITATION Bri05 \l 1033 ]. Some are uniquely designed to reflect local
architectural themes and act as a seam that brings two neighborhoods or
communities together. Other bridges have been designed to become interesting
destinations.

The development of a 12 million upmarket accommodation facility to house more

than one thousand students in Bulawayo is a perfect opportunity to ease the
problem of accommodation at National University of Science and Technology,
which has been troubling tertiary learners in the city. Construction of the Bulawayo
student accommodation complex is currently at 80 percent completion. Once
complete, the complex shall comprise three main blocks each being four storeys
high. The expected project completion date is 30 June 2021, with the operational
dates set to be the first semester of 2022.

Apart from student cottages, the complex will have a restaurant and commercial
facilities such as grocery shops, gym and pharmacy. Failure to obtain
accommodation within campuses has seen most students, especially those from
Nust resorting to renting from nearby suburbs. The facility is designed for 1032
students occupying a total of 516 double rooms. There shall be a main restaurant
with a capacity of 400 students at a time, a laundromat and a Supermarket.

However, the hostel is located across Bulawayo-Gwanda highway, this creates a

risk of accidents and ultimately loss of life as students access the university. Hence
there is need for pedestrian footbridge across the Bulawayo-Gwanda highway to
curb pedestrians from being hit by cars while crossing the road. Bulawayo-Gwanda
highway is the route of choice for most in transit haulage trucks. Due to the nature
of the traffic this road caters for, there is need to consider the soffit height of the
deck. The footbridge will be located across the Bulawayo-Gwanda road, linking
the hostel to Nust campus. It will transport the pedestrians across the busy road and
reduce the risk of students perishing as they cross the highway to campus every
day. The total span of the intended bridge is 36m.

This project successfully addressed a pedestrian safety problem common to school

campuses bisected by major access roads. The resulting pedestrian overpass
provides a good functional solution and employs elegant aesthetics to enhance the
university setting[ CITATION Bri05 \l 1033 ]. Construction of a safe aesthetic footbridge
will provide a safe and sound Engineering solution to the immediate problem as
the community continues to grow. The design will add to the improvement in the
road infrastructure and inspire other city councils to embark on such ingenious
implementation.

1.2 Problem Statement

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association(NHTSA) reports that each year
nearly 5,000 pedestrians die in motor vehicle related accidents, and approximately
76,000 pedestrians in 2012 suffered injuries when hit by a car or truck. These
accidents can occur when pedestrians attempt to cross highways. Hence, pedestrian
traffic from these hostels should be protected from traffic hazards as this highway
road is mostly busy especially with haulage trucks. Hence the need for a grade
separated intersection by introduction of a pre-fabricated steel footbridge, so as to
enhance the installation and minimize road downtime.

1.2 Justification

Introduction of the footbridge across the Bulawayo-Gwanda highway will provide

a safe and convenient way to access the campus. During a one-hour period, traffic
counts recorded 600 pedestrian crossings conflicting with more than 1,200 vehicles
traveling on Bulawayo-Gwanda road. The large volume of pedestrians and the
high number of vehicular/pedestrian conflicts along the route were key
considerations in seeking solutions to improve safety and traffic flow
conditions[ CITATION Bri05 \l 1033 ]. This design of a footbridge overhead crossing will
provide an alternative route for pedestrians with less points of collision thereby
reducing road carnage.

1.3 Objectives

1.3.1 Main Objectives

To design an economic, durable, aesthetic and safe footbridge to separate vehicle

and pedestrian traffic without compromising student safety across the Bulawayo-
Gwanda road.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

1. To perform site investigations and tests.

2. Identification of the types of bridges.
3. To prepare bill of quantities for project budget.
4. To prepare set of architectural and detailing drawings for the structural
elements to be used in the construction of the footbridge.
 5. To examine the location, design and other parameters of pedestrian/bicycle
overcrossing, and evaluates how well it will serve their intended users.

1.4 Project Scope

1.4.1 Design

Footbridges are defined as specific forms of overbridge carrying only footpaths,

cycleways or bridleways over highway alignment. Footbridges will have a high
impact upon their users, who will not be in the sheltered environment of a vehicle.
The design of footbridges shall recognise the increased level of scrutiny that they
will receive (Grimshaw, 2016).

Footbridge cross-sections have a significant impact on user experience. Although

minimum cross section sizes are defined, consideration should be given to more
generous dimensions, particularly for long structures. Separate ‘lanes’ for
pedestrians and cyclists are unlikely to be effective, with potential for conflict at
crossing points. An environment that is clearly shared is more likely to be
understood by all users (Welch, 2009).

The design shall address the needs of all users, including access for wheel chairs
and mobility scooters, and people with prams and buggies. Where a footbridge
crosses a dual carriageway carrying traffic with permitted speeds in excess of 30
mph, both carriageways should be crossed with a single span to avoid the need for
a support in the central reserve. The position of a footbridge should be chosen to
maximise the use of the topography so as to avoid or minimise the need for stairs
and ramps (Teixeria, 2008).

Access to the deck of a footbridge shall be provided by both ramps and stairs,
unless ramps alone would provide the most direct route to the deck, in which case
the stairs may be omitted. Access by stairs alone should only be considered in
exceptional circumstances in consultation and the agreement of the Overseeing
Organisation and local access and disability groups. Access shall be as short and
direct as practicable and follow the desire line of the main pedestrian flow
wherever possible, avoiding long detours and unnecessary climbing.
The design shall encourage users to cross at a footbridge, rather than crossing at
grade. This may be achieved by such provisions as suitable guardrails, fencing or
appropriate planting which prevent them from crossing the carriageway at road
level. The appearance of a footbridge shall be appropriate for its site. It should be
aesthetically pleasing, both from the viewpoint of the user travelling across it and
the driver travelling below, it shall enhance the environment around it and
encourage people to use the bridge.

For new bridges over existing roads, the foundation design shall take into account
the effects during construction. This should include, but not be limited to, the
safety of the travelling public, the safety of the workforce, any disruption to traffic
and future inspection & maintenance requirements (Wilson, 2009).

1.4.2 Analysis

The requirements of methods of analysis appropriate to the determination of the

distribution of force and deformation which are used to ascertaining the that the
limit state criteria are satisfied are described. Elastic methods of analysis should be
used to determine internal forces and deformations.
Structures are subjected to various loads that originates from various sources,
deformations may also be imposed on the structures for instances due to settlement
of thermal expansion (Bridge Decks, 11/18/19). The magnitude of these loads need
to be calculated and designed for depending on elements present for every
particular cases (Sacks et al, 2018). Loads associated with the use of structure can
only be estimated based on the nature of the usage.
The load effects under the most adverse of the prescribed design loading
conditions appropriate to the ultimate limit state should be calculated by a method
satisfying equilibrium requirements, all load effects being shown to be in
equilibrium with the applied loads (BS5400, 1988).

Primary live loads refer to vertical loads considered as static, due to direct weight
of traffic i.e. pedestrians.

Wind loads: This refers to dynamic loading due to wind force on the structure,
considered to act horizontally and in such a direction as to cause the maximum
stress in the member under probe.

1.4.3 Outcomes
 Figure 1 Google maps

The objective of this project was to design a footbridge linking NUST new hostel
to NUST campus across Gwanda road. Employing construction methods that
ensure minimum road operation downtime, hence use of prefabricated stress
trusses. Also, considering the economy of the project since the nation is currently
facing high inflation rate, encouraging a design that will use locally produced
material. Effort should however be invested in the construction of such
infrastructure in Zimbabwe to prevent any pedestrian highway related accidents
inquest of the 2025 vision of world class city Bulawayo.
For one to design a footbridge which will cater for pedestrians, a number of factors
need to be considered. These factors include the environmental impacts,
constructability, structural integrity, economics and footbridge accessibility. This
project granted me a unique chance to look at the aspects of engineering designs in
the real world. Due to lack of previous experience, it was a challenge to foresee the
amount of determination and time that is required in a design project.
The design criteria of pedestrian bridges which take place on the highways have
been identified with the standards in the developed and developing countries; the
ergonomics, resistance to the natural conditions and vandalism, vibration,
circulation characteristics and conformity to the universal design criteria have
become the most significant design criteria in other pedestrian bridge designs. The
detailed information about the footbridge is shown in the engineering drawings.
The total cost of the project is approximately 215, 000 United States Dollars
however a more extensive quantity survey should be conducted by a professional
Quantity surveyor this serves as a preliminary bill of quantities.

1.5 REFERENCES
Brinkerhoff, 2005. Improving the pedestrian environment through innovative transportation design,
United States of America: institute of transport engineers.

A.GRIMSHAW, 2016. BRIDGE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS. BRIDGE DESIGN APPROACH.

M.WILSON, 2009. DESIGN MANUAL FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES. PART 8 BD 29/17 DESIGN
CRITERIA FOR FOOTBRIDGES, Volume 9, p. 17.

TEIXEIRA, J. P., 2008. Design of a Pedestrian Bridge in a Historical Spot.

Welch, J., 2009. DESIGN OF A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE CROSSING OVER COLISEUM BOULEVARD.