The New Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge -

Design of the Suspended Superstructure

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Thomas Spoth, P.E,1 Kenneth Serzan, P.E. 2 and Seth Condell, P.E. 3
1
Parsons, 100 Broadway, New York, New York 10005; PH(212) 266-8394, FAX
(212) 266-8540 E; e-mail: Tom.Spoth@Parsons.com
2
Parsons, 100 Broadway, New York, New York 10005; PH (212) 266-8350; FAX
(212) 266-8540; e-mail: Kenneth.P.Serzan@Parsons.com
3
Parsons, 100 Broadway, New York, New York 10005; PH (212) 266-8398; FAX
(212) 266-8540; e-mail: Seth.Condell@Parsons.com

Abstract
The suspended superstructure for the new Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge
consists of a continuous welded steel truss with an integral orthotropic steel deck. The
truss elements are fabricated of both closed box and open I-sections. The bridge,
including particulars of the stiffening truss, is designed to accommodate a future
lower roadway or LRT without the need for component strengthening. This paper
will discuss the design aspects of this 1,646m (5,400 ft) continuous steel truss
superstructure with integral orthotropic deck, including the development of design
details to satisfy serviceability, fatigue, wind and seismic performance. Global
superstructure and local component computer modeling techniques are presented as
they relate to force and displacement demands and overall structure performance for
the required 150-year service life. Performance requirements for high seismic hazard
and computer analysis techniques using ADINA computer modeling software is
discussed. Wind performance and physical wind tunnel testing utilizing full-bridge
aeroelastic models for the bridge in its completed configuration is also discussed.

Stiffening Truss
The suspended superstructure consists of two 7.2m (23.5 ft) deep, continuous
trusses with an orthotropic deck that is integral to the top chord, thereby acting fully
as a global structural element (See Figure 1). A truss, in lieu of a box girder was
selected on the basis that it is architecturally compatible with the existing bridge and
that its form accommodates a future lower level. An integral orthotropic deck, as
compared to a floating deck on bearings, provides superior structural efficiency by
obviating the need for a top lateral system and provides increased strength and
stiffness as part of the truss top chord. This provides improved aerodynamic stability,
reduces the overall weight of the superstructure, and minimizes long-term
maintenance costs.

The total length of the suspended superstructure is 1647m (5,400 ft). The truss is
continuous through the towers, with expansion located at the anchorages only. The

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 cross section provides a 17.1m (56 ft) wide roadway between reinforced concrete
traffic barriers, allowing for two unrestricted travel lanes, an HOV lane, and two
3.0m shoulders. With the exception of bolted field splices the truss is of fully welded
construction. Typically, members are fabricated of AASHTO M270 Grade 345 (50)
steel, though extensive use of Grade HPS 485W (HPS 70W) steel in both the truss
and orthotropic deck is used in regions of high member demand, particularly in the
areas near the towers to reduce weight. Fabrication of the Grade HPS 485W (HPS
70W) members conforms to guidance from the Guide Specification For Highway
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Bridge Fabrication with HPS 70W (HPS 485W) Steel.

At the anchorages and towers, the bridge is supported by compression-type rocker

links. The links are welded cruciform sections with cylindrical, self-lubricating pin
and bushing assemblies at either end. The links are 5.5m (18’-0”) tall at the
anchorages and 5.9m (19’-4”) at the towers and they serve to limit the vertical
displacements at these points and to protect the integrity and function of the lateral
bearings. The links are rigid connections to the substructure, and as such resist high
seismic and service loads in both tension and compression. At the towers, the rocker
links are offset to the sides of the truss in order to allow the passage of the
maintenance travelers through the tower legs, thereby limiting the required number of
traveler platforms to only one upper and one lower traveler, thereby saving costs.

78'-0" C/C MAIN CABLES

35'-6" 35'-6"

10'-0" 10'-0" 3 LANES AT 12'-0"= 36'-0" 10'-0"

WALKWAY SHOULDER SHOULDER

23'-6"

UPPER
MAINTENANCE
TRAVELER

LOWER MAINTENANCE
TRAVELER

Figure 1: Typical Cross Section

The truss top chord consists of two 615mm (2’-0”) deep web plates that vary in
thickness from 16mm to 19mm (5/8”-3/4”), and a bottom plate 420mm (1’-4”) wide
by 16mm (5/8”) thick. The web plates are welded continuously to the deck plate with

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 50% partial penetration groove welds and the bottom plate is connected to each web
plate with a single sided 8mm fillet weld.

The bottom chord is 920mm (3’-0”) deep with a 420mm (1’-4”) wide top plate. The
bottom flange of the bottom chord also functions as the lower traveler rail. To
accommodate this dual function, the bottom flange is 48mm (1-7/8”) thick and
710mm wide, extending beyond the face of the web plates in order to provide a
horizontal track surface for the traveler wheels. The bottom chord itself was also
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proportioned sufficiently deep to provide the necessary bending stiffness to resist the
moments induced by the traveler wheels.

The gusset plates for the top and bottom chords are integral with the chord elements
and are groove welded to the edges of the web plates. Such an arrangement not only
facilitates efficient fabrication, but also reduces the weight of the structure and
provides for a smooth, clean, uninterrupted appearance of the truss.

Truss verticals are located at the even panel points only, coincident with the
suspender brackets. The use of verticals at the even panel points helps to minimize
the weight of the superstructure. The verticals themselves are I-shaped elements with
420mm (1’-4”) wide web plates that attached to the upper and lower gusset plates
with complete penetration groove welds.

The truss diagonals are also I-shaped elements with a 420mm (1’-4”) wide web plate
and have varying width and thickness flange plates. The diagonal flanges are
likewise groove welded to the gusset plates, while the web plates are fillet welded to
diaphragms within the limits of the gusset plate.

At the bottom chord, the lateral bracing system consists of a diamond braced system,
with perpendicular cross struts and cross frames at the even panel points. The lateral
bracing consists of I-shaped and box shaped elements, with the box shaped elements
used at the locations of higher demands near the towers and anchorages. The
maintenance access walkways are integral with the bottom lateral sections in order to
save weight on the superstructure.

Orthotropic Deck

The orthotropic deck of the box girder consists of a 16mm (5/8”) deck plate with
longitudinal 305mm (1’-0”) deep hermetically sealed trapezoidal closed ribs
fabricated from 8mm (5/16”) thick bent plates. The ribs are supported by floorbeams
that are spaced at 6.1m (20’-0”). As a method for controlling fabrication tolerances,
the plates are bent by the break-press method.

The floorbeams have tapered webs, again to save weight on the superstructure, and
are 1080mm (3’-6½”) deep at the truss and 1690mm (5’-6½”) deep at the center. The
web plate is generally a stiffened 9mm (3/8”) thick plate and is longitudinally spliced
with a horizontal stiffener below the trapezoidal ribs to facilitate fabrication. Both
the upper and lower portions of the web plate are groove welded to the horizontal

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 stiffener. The floorbeams are also designed to support the upper maintenance traveler
rails.

Provisions for Future Double Decking

In order to permit the bridge to be outfitted with a second deck in the future,
specific requirements were included in the project design criteria. The design criteria
mandated that the top and bottom chords and truss diagonals were to be designed to
accommodate the future lower level without additional reinforcement. In order to
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satisfy these requirements, force effects were determined on these members by

completing a detailed structural analysis of the future configuration. In essence a
second bridge was necessarily designed to validate current configuration.

The superstructure design was governed in many cases by the geometric demands and
traffic loads anticipated for the future lower level. (See Figure 2) The depth of the
truss was set to accommodate future truck and/or LRT clearances. The bottom lateral
bracing and cross frames are envisioned to be removed and replaced with an
orthotropic deck to become integral with the bottom chord, similar to the upper deck,
and verticals are envisioned to be added at odd panel points, along with suspender
brackets that would receive suspenders from a secondary main cable.
FUTURE SECONDARY
MAIN CABLE (TYP.)

CLEARANCE
2'-0" ENVELOPE
MAINTENANCE
WALKWAY
17'-6"

10'-0" 3 LANES AT 10'-0"

SHOULDER 12'-0"= 36'-0" SHOULDER

Figure 2: Typical Cross Section with Future Lower Roadway

Service Load Analysis

For the design of the new Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge several 2D and 3D
full bridge computer models were used to analyze the global demands on the
superstructure. A highly detailed 3D finite element plate element computer model
was used to evaluate the local demands on the orthotropic deck and floor system.

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 Global modeling was performed using the non-linear program LARSA as well as
ADINA and aided by custom built pre- and post-processors. Several models were
prepared as follows:

- Global 2D detailed model for preliminary live and temperature loading, with
the deck and top chord modeled together as a single virtual member.
- Global 3D Spine model for eigenvector/eigenvalue analysis, with the truss
and deck modeled as a single element, for use in supporting wind tunnel
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studies.
- Global 3D detailed model for service and wind loading and floor system
response to local loading with the deck modeled as plate and beam elements
to simulate orthotropic behavior.
- Global 3D erection-stage model to evaluate displacement, force and wind
performance during erection of the fabricated truss elements.
- Global 3D ADINA model with complete soil-structure interaction elements
for detailed seismic analysis.

Local 3D modeling was performed using SAP2000. The segment-model represents a

total length of 48.8m (160 ft) of suspended superstructure (See Figure 3). There are 8
panels, two stiffening trusses, and 9 floor beams vertically supported by 5 suspenders
in each truss segment. The longitudinal and transverse restraints at both ends are
added for stability of the model. Members, such as orthotropic deck, floor beams, top
and bottom chord of stiffening truss, truss verticals, diagonals, and lateral bracings,
are all modeled as plate elements. The deck system is designed for HS25 live load
and HS20 fatigue loading. Fatigue performance was designed considering the criteria
of both the AASHTO Standard and AASHTO LRFD Specifications.

Figure 3: Detailed 3D Local Model

The detailed 3D segment-model was constructed in part to determine service load

demands and deflections of the deck plate, ribs and floorbeams. The deck elements

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 provided fatigue stress ranges at the deck plate splice, floorbeam diaphragm cutout,
floorbeam vertical stiffeners, and at floorbeam connections to the stiffening truss.
The local model incorporated techniques that had previously been validated by full
scale physical testing.

Modeling the orthotropic deck system in the 3D detailed models proved invaluable
for post-design erection feasibility studies by allowing accurate shear lag behavior in
discontinuous erection stage models. Analysis revealed significant loss of vertical,
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lateral and torsional stiffness during the erection stages where physical load pathways
differ from the completed structure.

Seismic Analysis

The Seattle-Tacoma area is in a region of high seismic hazard, capable of

producing earthquakes of Richter magnitude eight or larger. In consideration for
seismic safety the project-specific design criteria prescribes a performance-based
seismic design. Performance requirements are defined for both a Safety Evaluation
Earthquake, a seismic event with a mean return period of 2,500 years, and a
Functional Evaluation Earthquake, with a mean return period of 100 years. For each
level of evaluation, criterion further specifies the level of structural and material
performance. To insure design compliance, detailed non-linear time-history
structural analyses were performed using ADINA computer modeling software.
These analyses include advanced computer modeling techniques used to capture the
performance of the deep-water caisson foundations and non-linear performance of
reinforced concrete tower elements in plastic hinge zones. Caisson rocking is an
integrated modeling feature that provides a rational mechanism to prevent build-up of
unrealistic forces in both the superstructure and substructure elements.

Seismic demands did not govern the design of the orthotropic stiffening truss except
for the bottom lateral bracing adjacent to supports at the towers and anchorages and
specific areas of the Tacoma side span bottom chord.

Wind Performance

Design criteria relating to wind performance dictated the need for bridge sectional
model studies as well as full-bridge aeroelastic model studies. Physical wind tunnel
testing and relating wind performance studies were conducted by Rowan Williams
Davies & Irwin, Guelph, Ontario. These studies included what is believed to be the
first instance where two (2) full aeroelastic models of major suspension bridges have
been tested side-by-side (See Figure 4). The testing thus provided the opportunity to
examine aerodynamic interaction effects for a variety of wind parameters. Side-by-
side sectional model studies also allowed interaction effects to be examined. A key
objective of the wind studies on the two bridges was to establish that their critical
wind speeds for flutter were in conformance with the project criteria. This criterion
dictated that the critical speeds for flutter have less than 0.01% annual probability of
occurrence.

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Figure 4: Full Aeroelastic Models (Photo by RWDI)

Spring mounted sectional models of both bridge superstructures were tested at a scale
of 1:50 for various turbulence intensities and angles of attack. These tests were used
to measure static drag, lift, and torsional moment, per unit length, normalized into
aerodynamic coefficients. Sectional model tests also examined potential the bridges'
susceptibility to vortex excitation and flutter instability. No significant vortex
induced oscillations or instability were detected as compared to criteria.

To better evaluate wind effects and to serve as an independent check of the section
models, full-bridge aeroelastic models were designed and constructed at 1:211 scale
and tested in the 9m x 9m wind tunnel of the National Research Council (NRC) in
Ottawa. These models included both the new and existing bridges in order that the
effects of one on the other could be determined. The aeroelastic models included
scaled geometry, stiffness and mass. An important advantage of a full aeroelastic
model is that it allows the full effects of wind turbulence and various wind directions
to be studied. The peak lateral deflection at the 100 year wind speed of 127 km/hr
(mean hourly at deck level) reaches 5.2m. There was no sign of any sudden shift in
the responses of the bridges that would indicate the presence of an aerodynamic
instability. The test program on the Tacoma Narrows bridges provided a unique
opportunity to examine interaction effects between the two suspension bridges in
close proximity to each other. No major adverse affects were found and in many
cases the wind response was improved for the new bridge downwind of the existing.
The sectional model and full-bridge aeroelastic model program proved the bridges to
be aerodynamically stable and provided accurate wind loads for the design of the
truss elements.

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 Conclusions

The design and construction of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge marks a new
chapter in the life of one of the world’s most famous bridge sites. With a fully
welded stiffening truss and integral orthotropic deck, high strength HPS 485W (HPS
70W) steel, a traveler rail integral with the bottom chord, significant cost savings
were realized, thanks largely to the collaborative environment of the design build
delivery method. As a result, the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge sets a high standard
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in modern suspension bridge design, detailing, fabrication and erection - serving as an

example to a future generation of bridge engineers.

Other Readings
This paper has been presented as part of a series of papers discussing the design
and construction of this historic bridge. The reader is directed to the following
articles presented simultaneously, also regarding the new Tacoma Narrows
Suspension Bridge:

The New Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge – Introductory Project Information

The New Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge, Suspension System and Anchorage –
by Ravindra Mathur, P.E. and Augusto Molina, P.E.

The New Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge, Critical Issues in Seismic Analysis
and Design – by Serafim Arzoumanidis, PhD., P.E., Greg Orsolini, P.E., Shawn
Marlow, P.E., and Ayman Shama, PhD., P.E.,

The New Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Hydraulic
Analysis – by Stanley D. Polasik, P.E.

The New Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge, Construction Support and

Engineering – by Joseph M. Viola, P.E., Saeed Syed, Ph.D. PE, and John Clenance,
P.E.

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