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Second Bay of Cadiz Bridge-Latest Construction Challenges

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DOI: 10.2749/222137810796025456

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 Large Structures and Infrastructures for Environmentally Constrained and Urbanised Areas 1

Second Bay of Cadiz Bridge-Latest Construction Challenges

Manuel ESCAMILLA Marcos MARTIN Julio CAYETANO

Civil Eng./Assoc. Professor Managing Director Technical Assintance Chief
ACL/University of Cadiz Ministerio de Fomento Ginprosa
Cadiz, Spain Sevilla, Spain Madrid, Spain
mescamilla@acl-estructuras.com mmgomez@fomento.es j.cayetano@ginprosa.es

Alejandro CASTILLO Gonzalo OSBORNE Victor JIMENEZ

Director/Assoc. Professor Civil Engineer Civil Engineer
ACL/University of Granada ACL Dragados
Cadiz/Granada, Spain Cadiz, Spain Madrid, Spain
acl@acl-estructuras.com gosborne@acl-estructuras.com vmjimeneza@dragados.com

Summary
The construction works for the New Cadiz Bridge started in April 2007 and the completion is
scheduled for autumn 2011. By now, important challenges have been faced, such as the construction
of 495 deep piles both inland and on sea, which has demanded innovative excavation solutions. The
semi-submerged pier and tower bases have required composite steel-concrete watertight caissons of
1200 tons maximum weight, built inland and placed on site with heavy lift floating sheer-legs, to
face the action of the 7 m-high water column, waves and ocean currents. Finally, the rising of the
east tower is being developed with a climbing system in the first vertical phase, combined with a
complex three-dimensional steel structure anchored to the tower to support the scaffolding of the
highly inclined diamond-shaped second phase (only 41º above the horizontal line).
Keywords: cable-stayed, Cadiz, diamond-shaped towers, launching, removable bridge, tramway.

1. Introduction
This light, slender and innovative structure, conceived by the engineer Javier Manterola and his
team, has a 3092 m long, 33,20 m wide deck, distributed in 37 spans. There is a central cable-stayed
bridge with a 540 m-long main span and 320 m-long side spans (200 m + 120 m) involving two 185
m-height diamond-shaped towers with 176 cable
stays. The composite steel-concrete deck of this
part of the bridge has a constant depth of 3 m and
a maximum vertical clearance of 69 m above the
sea level; the west approach bridge has 9 spans of
variable length (from 55 to 150 m), and is
composed by a continuous composite deck
structure to be built by incremental launching
over the sea and a removable 150 m-long steel
span with a variable depth (between 3 and 8 m)
and orthotropic deck plate. On the other side, the
east approach bridge has a 1183 m-long
continuous prestressed concrete deck, which has
75 to 32 m-long spans from the 14th pier to the
Fig. 1: Cable-Stayed Bridge (render) second abutment.
The deck will house a 4 lane roadway (with interior and exterior hard shoulders) and a 2 lane
tramway. Pedestrian lateral walks (only for maintenance) and wind-protective barriers will be also
included at both sides.
The continuity of the deck will be broken at the removable span, and so there will be 4 expansion
joints located at the first abutment, 8th pier (580 m away), 9th pier (150 m away of the previous) and
second abutment. Therefore, the last stretch will have a 2362 m long continuous deck. Two sliding
spherical bearings will be placed at each pier top (one of them free sliding and the other one guided),
except for the central piers of the Cadiz approach viaduct and at the piers of the removable bridge
2 34TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BRIDGE AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, VENICE, 2010

(where elastomeric bearings will be used). The relative movement of the deck is totally restrained at
the eastern tower of the cable-stayed bridge. However, the western tower will have a transversal
stopper device and longitudinal seismic dampers (longitudinal movement is thus free for creep,
shrinkage and thermal actions at this point).
Diverse construction procedures will be used for the different deck typologies: The Cadiz (western)
approach viaduct will be incrementally launched over the sea, using temporary cable-staying to
reduce deflections and forces at the first launched span. The removable deck will be lifted up using
a large pontoon to transport it and high-capacity strand-jack units. The cable-stayed bridge will be
built by the balanced cantilever method, lifting 20 m long partially composite deck segments, fixing
them to the previous structure by welded joints and stressing the corresponding stays. The deck of
the eastern approach viaduct is placed inland, and therefore it will be constructed using falsework.
There is another relevant structure being constructed for this project, the Rio San Pedro Bridge, a
800 m long continuous composite deck bridge, with 18 spans of variable length (from 31,5 m to
55,5 m), which deck girders are being constructed by lifting using derrick cranes.

2. Foundations
2.1 Deep piles
Deep foundations are needed for all the piers, towers and abutments, because of the thick upper fill
and marine deposits layer, which thickness shifts from 5 to 20 m. The 495 reinforced concrete piles
needed have been already completed. Most of them (338) are 2 m diameter piles, with an average
depth of 34 m, like those employed for the towers foundation (48 piles for the western tower and 56
for the eastern one).
The excavation works had to use hollow steel jackets and polymers fluid to sustain the interface,
due to the instability of the material excavated. Third generation polymers were chosen instead of
other substances like bentonite composites, because they are environmentally friendly
(biodegradable), easy and fast to prepare, and can be easily corrected and stabilized on site if
necessary.
The construction of the sea piles has been done using a GPS-guided pontoon which housed a crane
and the drilling equipment. The hollow steel jackets had a round welded corbel and horizontal studs
to connect with the bottom composite slab of their corresponding watertight caisson (see Fig. 2).
These metallic tubes were placed on site by a pile
driver, leaving the top over the high-water mark
and protected from the wave action. The stability
of the excavation was controlled by periodic
measurement of the chemical and physical
properties of the polymer fluid at the bottom end
(density, sand content, viscosity and pH). Once
drilled, the reinforcement of the piles was put on
place using the boarded crane, and when the
characteristics of the excavation liquid were again
checked, the concreting started.
Two different methods were employed for the
cast-in-place maritime concreting: the first
involved the use of static pumps, placed at the
seashore and connected to floating pipelines. The
Fig. 2: Sea pile. Steel jacket second one consisted on the use of self-propelled
pontoons with embarked concrete-mixers. In both
cases, special stabilising additives were necessary to maintain the properties of the fresh concrete
mixture during long periods of time (4-5 hours). The floating pipelines were used only for the first
piles, near the shore, due to the strong tidal current. As an average, 2 complete marine piles were
finished each day. An exhaustive campaign of quality control was developed, affecting every single
stage of construction, in order to guarantee the continuity and integrity of the piles, as well as the
proper conditions at the bottom interface (a standard penetration test was done after the completion
of all piles, see [1]).
 Large Structures and Infrastructures for Environmentally Constrained and Urbanised Areas
2.2 Watertight caissons and pile caps
All of the 10 piles being constructed inside the Bay have pile caps partially or totally submerged
below the low-water mark. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a watertight environment to work.
Fig. 3 (a), (b) and (c): Pile caps for sea 1 centimetre.
piers. Construction stages. (Art view).
them reinforced with corner struts) to excavate the surrounding terrain.
3
This was materialised by watertight steel caissons, with
bottom composite plates connected to the piles trough
studs welded to their steel jackets. Four different
caissons have been designed to cover all the existing
geometries and depths of pile caps. Although the base
plate is specific for each pier, the walls are reutilised
from one to the following, thanks to the preloaded
bolted connections disposed. These structures are
composed by plated steel elements, stiffened by T-
shaped welded stiffeners in both directions, and with
corner laminated steel members acting as strut braces.
The construction process is schematised in Fig. 3 (a),
(b) and (c): as described, deep piles are constructed
inside steel jackets which have all-around circular
corbels to support the caissons. The base of the
watertight caisson has rounded holes matching up with
piles; once placed on site, its steel reinforcement is
completed and, after that, the structural composite base
is underwater concreted, using divers. When the
underwater concrete has reached the required strength,
the caisson is drained; the steel jackets are cut and the
upper pile concrete is demolished, preserving the steel
reinforcement (protected by polystyrene covers). The
pile cap and the corresponding pier can thus be built
under normal conditions.
This construction procedure has an important impact in
the structural assessment of the piles: due to the water
under-pressure and the asymmetrical pressures created
by waves and tidal currents, some important tensions
are to be faced by the piles. The steel jacket-pile
concrete interface was treated to increase roughness,
using welded steel wedges, and some piles have been
monitored with strain gauges to control the axial
actions during the process.
300 tonnes of laminated steel have been used in each
pier caisson (for 3rd to 11th piers). The caisson
constructed for the western tower of the cable-stayed
bridge, which will be later described, had 1200 tonnes
of laminated steel and 500 tonnes of reinforcing bars
when it was placed on site.
The transportation and installation of the caissons are
being carried out by heavy lift floating sheer-legs. A
GPS antenna is placed in each corner of the caisson,
and a continuous data collection is received in the
bridge of the vessel, with instant images of the position
of the piles and the rounded holes of the base of the
caisson. The accuracy of the guidance system is about
With respect to the inland piers, theirs pile caps are all
buried, and it was necessary to use sheet piles (some of
4 34TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BRIDGE AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, VENICE, 2010

3. Pylons and piers

The New Cadiz Bridge will have 36 piers of 3 different morphologies: 2 diamond-shaped towers,
14 single-shaft piers and 20 double-shaft portico piers. The pylons will be placed at the main span
of the cable-stayed bridge, and they will reach more than 180 metres of height. Their bases are
semi-pyramidal solid concrete plinths which connect with the deep foundation. The western tower
has a 34 m long, 46 m wide and 8,5 m height cap, with a total volume of 8800 m3; the eastern one
has a 40 m long, 46 m wide and 9 m height cap, with a total volume of 12800 m3. These dimensions,
even though considerable, are optimized in comparison to those needed in an A-shaped or H-shaped
pylon, due to the concentration of actions in a single lower shaft.
The western tower is placed in the sea, so to
build its plinth a huge watertight caisson
(49 m x 37 m x 9 m) was necessary. 1200
tonnes of self-weight plus 500 tonnes of
steel reinforcing bars were lifted by two
linked floating sheer-legs (see Fig. 4).
The eastern tower, placed in the Cadiz Port
grain and mineral dock, has a semi-buried
plinth. The excavation works needed steel
sheets in 3 sides, and a concrete retaining
wall at the west side, because of the
proximity of the steel piles wall of the dock.
Once the foundation has been completed,
the diamond-shaped geometry of the towers
is being built in 5 stages. High strength
reinforced and prestressed concrete is being
Fig. 4: Transportation of the caisson for the western employed to construct them (from 60 to 80
pylon, using 2 floating sheer-legs working together. MPa of compressive strength).
The first stage involved the use of a
climbing formwork to construct the lower
single shaft. A hollow variable hexagonal
cross section, with 1,8 m depth walls was
made-up, using self-compacting concrete in
highly reinforced areas.
Subsequent to that, a special three-
dimensional framework was used as both
falsework and formwork of the second
stage (see Figs. 5 and 6). Steel laminated I-
shaped and hollow sections with preloaded
bolted connections were used, needing
transverse temporary prestressed ties on
bottom and top (anchored at both arms),
and considering a pre-camber in order to
Fig. 5: Current view of the western pylon (March avoid deviations from the designed
2010). geometry. The obliqueness of the arms (41º
above the horizontal), was a real challenge
not only for the falsework, but also for the concreting of the different layers. Initially, a hollow cross
section was planned to be built in layers perpendicular to the arms axes. Finally, in order to
facilitate the works, solid cross sections with horizontal concrete-to-concrete interfaces were built,
setting out some additional reinforcement to face shear parallel to those surfaces.
The following (3rd) phase implicated the construction of the horizontal cross brace that connects the
previous arms just below the deck, and houses the structural bearings and the movement stoppers
and dampers needed to materialize the connection with the superstructure. The high tension to be
resisted by this cross brace, derived from the deviation of compressive forces from the upper arms
(see Fig. 7), together with the bending forces caused by the bearing supports, required a dense steel
 Large Structures and Infrastructures for Environmentally Constrained and Urbanised Areas 5

reinforcement and prestressing, configured by 48 tendons of 55 units of 0,6’’ Y1860S7 wires. A

total 56000 t prestressing force is given to this element, prior to the placement of the deck. Intense
calculations and prevention construction measures were developed to avoid concrete cracking in
this early stage. Structural monitoring is also used throughout the prestressing process, using
extensometers and thermometers placed at the central cross section.
The high density of the passive and active reinforcement
made recommendable the use of 1200 m3 of self-compacting
concrete to build this 7 m wide and 3 m high solid cross
brace, already completed in the eastern tower.
The fourth phase, being developed right now at the eastern
pylon, affects to the upper A-shaped 63 m-high hollow arms,
just above the deck level. Again, climbing formwork is being
used (see Fig 7) to concrete 3,6 m-high layers. A temporary
intermediate horizontal shore is needed in order to stabilise
the cantilevered arms, to which horizontal and vertical pre-
camber is provided to guarantee the securing of the
theoretical geometry. Once achieved the 120 m-high merger
of the two arms, the temporary shore will be removed using
a sand-box placed at one end.
At the final stage, the top of the towers will be materialised
using composite box elements to house the stays anchorages.
Fig. 6: The eastern pylon (2 nd The initial design used prestressed concrete cross sections in
phase) this area, but the simplicity of the composite solution,
together with the achievability of the strict geometrical
tolerances, tipped the balance in its favour. This option is
widely used in similar bridges all around the World (see Fig.
14).
44 steel boxes are being manufactured for each pylon, to
host the 176 anchorage devices needed. Stud connectors will
be used at the lateral plates, and welded joints will link each
box with the previous and the following ones. Thick un-
stiffened plates are designed instead of thin stiffened plates,
to prevent deformations due to welding processes and reduce
the number of welded joints to the minimum, providing good
accessibility both for execution and inspection. Detail finite
element structural modelling has been used to design the
composite sections, focussing on stresses on welded joints
(see Fig. 8).
The structural health monitoring system of the bridge is
concentrated at the pylons, whose most important cross
sections (base, central sections of the second, third and
fourth phases) have been under permanent surveillance since
Fig. 7: Current view of the eastern the very beginning of the works. Strain gauges,
pylon. extensometers, accelerometers, clinometers, reaction meters
at structural bearings and tension meters at stays will be used
as permanent devices, connected to a main data acquisition system located inside each tower, at the
deck level.
6 34TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BRIDGE AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, VENICE, 2010

As mentioned before, 14 single-shaft piers and 20 double-shaft portico piers are under construction.
The onshore (24) ones have already been completed. The portico piers will enable disposing of a
two lane road with side parking areas below the prestressed
concrete deck, to provide access to the adjacent industrial
facilities. The exterior shape of the deck will remain constant
throughout the bridge (except for the variable depth of the
removable deck and the variable width of the 2 latest spans),
and with the 10 m-wide of the lower central face, where
structural bearings will be located, reaction forces will be
transmitted to the lintel of the portico piers, requiring
prestressing horizontal tendons to face them. For constructive
Fig. 8: Stays Anchorage. Finite reasons, it was preferable to prestress the lintels in a single
element model of the steel box. phase, before constructing the deck. Thus, considerable
stresses were generated in these slender elements, whose
height was limited due to the vertical clearance needed for the
road below (see Fig. 9). High strength concrete (up to 70
MPa) was used, and special tests were carried out to
determine the tension strength at early ages. A controlled
cracking with admissible widths was produced, located at the
upper face (due to tensile stresses) and the inner corners (due
to shear forces). Durability was granted by subsequent
injections and sealing.

4. Deck
Fig. 9: Portico piers. Stresses due The construction of the deck has already started at the
to prestressing. Removable Span, the Cadiz (western) Approach Viaduct and
the Rio San Pedro Bridge. As discussed, all of these are steel
or composite decks, being built with different construction
procedures. Launching of the 542 m-long western
approach deck will use a temporary peninsula to
house the construction facilities needed (dowels
camp and launching devices). Temporary piers and
stays will be disposed in order to reduce
deflections and stresses in the deck. Not only the
steel part of the deck will be launched, but also a
central 6 m-wide and 0,3 m thick concrete slab,
able to allow vehicle transit (except on the
cantilever span, where no concrete will be placed
to reduce weight). At the final stage, 8122 t will be
moved, requiring 1100 t of pushing force to face
the friction on temporary Teflon bearings and the
longitudinal slope (5%). A 600 t retention system
Fig. 10: Cadiz Approach Viaduct. Finite is also necessary, to prevent back displacements. A
element modelling of the deck launching. 35 m-high temporary steel tower, articulated at its
base, will be used for the temporary stays. The
back end of the stays will be active, suitable to adapt the forces introduced at each intermediate
phase.
Facing the construction project, carried out by ALEPH Consultants together with the DRAGADOS
Technical Team, under the direction of the Ministry of Public Works and Carlos Fernandez Casado
S. L., one of the key issues was the patch-loading assessment due to incremental launching. Inclined
lower cells were designed to connect the lower flange to the base of the web, providing effective
stiffening of both elements at their critical areas. This is a usual method in Spanish launched steel
decks, which advantages have been widely proven through many constructed bridges (see [2] and
[3]).
The next stretch of the deck is materialised by the removable span, which is reaching completion
nowadays. Its detailed design and construction procedure is far and wide described in [4].
 Large Structures and Infrastructures for Environmentally Constrained and Urbanised Areas 7

Works on the cable-stayed deck are just beginning at Dragados Offshore facilities. The first 110 m-
long phase, centred at each pylon, will be constructed by the balanced cantilever method, without
cable stays. Thus, a temporary total fixation is
needed at the pylon, providing restraints to all
degrees of freedom. Lifting Travellers will be
placed above the constructed deck to lift 20 m-
long and 34,3 m-wide dowels, without concrete in
this initial phase (until the first three couples of
cable stays are tensioned). The considerable
weight of both cranes (415 t each) and dowels
will cause important stresses and deflections in
the steel deck and the pylon (see Fig. 11). After
that, with 6 stays already tensioned, the
Fig. 11: Cable-stayed deck. Deformed shape concreting works will begin at the deck,
after stressing the first couple of stays. completing a variable thick lower slab at pylons
and the 0,3 m-thick upper slab. Subsequently, the
dowels will be lifted with a lateral and frontal concrete slab already completed.
As mentioned before, 176 cable stays (88 per pylon), disposed in two lateral planes with “semi-
harp” layout will shape the suspension system. From 31 to 88 parallel-wire cables will be utilized
per stay. As expected, the stays with more number of
cables will be the adjacent and most distant to the
pylons. The corrosion protective system has been
designed to a 100 year life-cycle in the most
aggressive environment (C5 type, according to [5]),
following the current technical recommendations
(see [6]). A triple barrier will be disposed, using inner
galvanisation, high density polyethylene (HDPE)
individual ducts and micro-crystalline wax to fill the
interstices. A HDPE global duct will be also used to
protect against solar radiation and improve the
aerodynamic behaviour by means of a helical wire
whirling outer surface. Besides, further assessments
are being developed to determine if additional
Fig. 12: Rio San Pedro Viaduct. Lifting of a measures are needed to avoid cable vibrations;
pier steel dowel using derrick cranes. Art passive dampers and cross-cable systems are under
view by TECADE GROUP. analysis for diverse stays suppliers, according to the
state-of-the-art and normative (see [6], [7]).
The Rio San Pedro Viaduct forms also part of the
Cadiz new link project, and works on site are very
advanced at the moment. The substructure
(foundations, piers, abutments and structural bearings)
has already been constructed, and the steel deck
sections are near completion at the TECADE
GROUP factory. The accessibility to this onshore
structure leads to a conventional construction method,
lifting twin symmetrical steel box sections and
placing them on temporary and permanent piers.
Pier dowels are placed on site first, followed by span
Fig. 13: Rio San Pedro Viaduct. Lifting of a dowels, left on temporary supports until the welding
span steel dowel using derrick cranes. Art joints are completed. This sequence brings the
view by TECADE GROUP. opportunity to carry out an optimal geometric control,
thanks to the adaptability of the temporary supports,
preventing at the same time any undesired forces and stressed due to misalignments or relative
topographic differences between bearings in different piles.
 8 34TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BRIDGE AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, VENICE, 2010

5. Discussion, Conclusions and Acknowledgements

Fig. 14: Steel boxes for cable
stay anchorages at the top of
the pylons (art view).
Many subjects could generate further discussions in a project like
this, with multiple bridge typologies, morphologies and
construction procedures. However, the formal aspect would
certainly be a common topic in the future conversations between
the inhabitants of Cadiz, due to the transcendental change carried
out by the new link in the landscape of the Bay. Javier Manterola
and his team, always conscious and proactive in such a delicate
matter, sign an outstanding piece, from the authors’ point of view.
Two aspects may nevertheless be highlighted because of its
singularity: Firstly, the diamond-shaped pylons, whose design
achieves a high level, plenty of structural significance due to the
obliquity of the lower arms and the dramatic strength of the cross
brace. Secondly, the lightness of the cable-stayed bridge, given by
the reduced number of piers and the proportions of the span
lengths which offers a clear view of the structure, even for oblique
points of view (which are the most common ones). This is a
constant characteristic of every single project developed by Carlos
Fernandez Casado S. L. (see [8]).
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Ministerio
de Fomento, Carlos Fernandez Casado, GINPROSA, ACL
Estructuras, Dragados, FPS and UTE PUENTEBAHIA teams.
ALEPH Consultants, TECADE Group, Dragados Offshore and
PERI provided necessary information and technical support.
Salvador Carrera is the author of the three-dimensional art views
shown in this paper. Finally, Jaime Bermudez Escamilla and
Theresa Cherrey helped with the redaction.

6. References
[1] MARTIN M., BERNARDO H., CAYETANO J., ESCAMILLA M., JIMENEZ V. and
PEREZ J., “Ejecucion de cimentaciones del Viaducto de la Bahia de Cadiz”, IV
CONGRESO DE ACHE, Congreso Internacional de Estructuras, Valencia, 2008, pp. 557-
558.
[2] KUHLMANN U., CHICA J., MENO S. et al, Combri: Valorisation of knowledge for
competitive steel and composite bridges. Final Report, EUROPEAN COMISSION, Brussels,
2007.
[3] MILLANES F., PASCUAL J., ORTEGA M., “Arroyo Las Piedras Viaduct: The first
Composite Steel-Concrete High Speed RailwayBridge in Spain”, IABSE Structural
Engineering International, No. 4, 2007, pp. 292-297.
[4] ESCAMILLA M., MARTIN M., CAYETANO J., OSBORNE G., SACALUGA M. and
VEGA V., “New Removable Bridge over the Bay of Cadiz”, IABSE, Large Structures and
Infrastructures for Environmentally Constrained and Urbanized Areas, Venice, 2010.
[5] UNE-EN ISO 12944-2: 1998, Paints and varnishes. Corrosion protection of steel structures
by protective paint systems. Part 2: Classification of environments, AENOR, Madrid, 1999,
p.11.
[6] ACHE Estructuras y Edificacion: Manual de Tirantes, Madrid, 2007, pp. 51-53.
[7] SÁ CAETANO E., Cable Vibrations in Cable-Stayed Bridges, IABSE Structural
Engineering Documents, No 9, Zürich, 2007.
[8] MANTEROLA J., PUENTES. Apuntes para su diseño, calculo y construccion, Tomo I,
Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Madrid, 2006.

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