CIVIL WORKS SOUTH EAST ASIA
FORM TRAVELLERS
BACH DANG BRIDGE
SUPPLYING STAY CABLES AND
FORM TRAVELLERS TO EXPEDITE
BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
A
5.4km bridge stretches across the
Bach Dang River as a key part of
a new 25km expressway linking
Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, to Halong
Bay.
The new route reduces the travel distance by
approximately 50km and shortens journey times
by 2.5 hours. As a result, the Bach Dang Bridge is
expected to play an important role in the inter-
regional transport system, fuelling investment
and socio-economic development in the key
northern economic triangle of Hanoi, Haiphong
and Quang Ninh.
The main part of the bridge is a cable-stayed
structure with total length of 700m, made up
of two main spans of 240m and two side spans
of 110m. It has a total width of 28m, carrying
three vehicle lanes in each direction. The central
pylon and two side pylons are 99.74m and 94.5m
high, respectively.
VSL scope of works included the supply and
installation of 800 tonnes of stay cables and tie-
downs together with bridge bearings, expansion
joints and a bridge health monitoring system.
VSL also designed, supplied and commissioned
three pairs of underslung form travellers (FTs)
to construct the 9.6m-long segments.
VIETNAM STAY CABLES &
DATE
2016 - 2018
LOCATION
Hai Phong City
OWNER
BOT Bach Dang Bridge JSC.
The selection of VSL’s well-proven stay cable INDEPENDANT
system for the project followed successful CONSULTANT
implementation on several other projects in Asian Pacific Engineering
Vietnam. Furthermore, the system complied Consultants – APECO
with the rigorous quality requirements set out
in the project specification. Strand-by-strand CONSULTANT
installation was well suited to the bridge’s JV of Transport
construction methodology and enabled site Engineering Design TEDI
crews to meet the stringent programme and CIENCO1 – TECCO 1.JSC
constraints, targeting a typical cycle of 12 days
per segment. MAIN CONTRACTORS
Trung Nam Construction &
The main bridge’s deck features a slender cast- Engineering Corporation
in-situ concrete girder design. Proximity of the
bridge to the city’s airport placed restrictions Civil Engineering
on the height of the pylons, which resulted in Construction Corporation
a minimum stay cable angle of just 19.6°. In No.1 - JSC
addition, the Bach Dang River is very busy with
vessels travelling to and from Haiphong Port,
which brought further requirements in terms
of clearance.
These constraints were all significant factors that
had to be taken into consideration in the design
of the FTs. The main contractors – Trung Nam
Construction & Engineering Corporation (Trung
Nam E&C) and Civil Engineering Construction
Corporation No. 1 – JSC (CIENCO1) – therefore
needed a professional designer and a specialist
contractor with relevant experience.
1/2
 SCOPE OF WORKS
Supply & installation
VSL SSI 2000 stay cable
system
Supply & installation of
tie-down cables
Supply & installation of
bearings & joints
Design, supply &
commissioning of three
sets of under-slung form
traveller
Design, supply &
installation of Bridge
Health Monitoring System
KEY FIGURES
——800 tonnes of stay
cable
——9895m of HDPE pipe
——288 sets fo anchorage
VSL SSI 2000 stay cable system
2/2
VSL has already designed FTs for the Can
Tho and Bai Chay cable-stayed bridges, as well as
for Phu Luong Bridge, the first cantilever bridge
ever constructed in Vietnam. VSL’s experience
in construction and temporary works, and
its ability to carry out design work ‘in-house’
through its Technical Centre, were key factors
in the main contractors’ decision to appoint VSL
to design the FTs for Bach Dang Bridge.
VSL developed a very light, 210-tonne FT that
was easy to assemble, operate and dismantle,
while still meeting the project’s stringent 1
requirements. The low weight was achieved
by two key aspects of VSL’s design. Struts
between the stay anchorage blisters were
used to resist the horizontal forces and the
stay cables supported the FT through a precast
blister that was stressed to the traveller itself.
VSL’s alternative proposal for the blister also
assisted in reducing the typical cycle duration
for construction of the segments.
VSL’s monitoring system has been deployed
across the whole of the main bridge to assist
the client in monitoring the structure both
during construction and in service. VSL has 2
a proven track record in this field in Vietnam, 1  — Construction works
having already carried out monitoring work for
2 — Installation of VSL SSI 2000 stay cable system
My Thuan, Nga Ba Hue, Tran Thi Ly and Nhat
Tan bridges. The system used by VSL features
advanced technology, enabling simplicity in
operation while achieving high accuracy and
easy access to the information at any time, via
computer or even a smartphone. In addition, VSL
is able to provide ongoing technical support to
clients; and spare or replacement parts are
readily available.
Work started in December 2016 and was
completed in August 2018. The bridge opened
to traffic on 1st September 2018.
www.vsl.com