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The article presents a case study on the design and implementation issues of Diglis swing timer bridges in Worcester, England. It notes the use of various metallic elements such as kingposts, rod stays and turning handles on the bridges' replacements, and cites the significance in identifying the sustainable sources of oak timber prior to construction. Moreover, it mentions the structures' success for acquiring the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) West Midlands Sustainability Award in 2006.

Ship impact is a major consideration in the design of bridges. Forces calculated using the various methods in use can be very large and vary considerably. This paper describes the method used in the design of the Hungerford footbridges over the River Thames in central London, UK, and compares the results with other methods. Eurocode I is shown to produce large variations, depending on which method is used. The design and construction of the ship impact protection for Hungerford Bridge is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed vibration measurements were taken on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England to define its basic dynamic characteristics in normal conditions and then to assess its dynamic response to crowd loading; 27 vibration modes were identified with natural frequencies below 3 Hz. When subject to crowd loading, quite large lateral vibrations occurred in two modes, with sudden onset. This phenomenon, often termed 'synchronous lateral excitation' or 'pedestrian lock-in', is similar to the behaviour observed on the London Millennium Bridge and a number of other bridges. Data analysis showed the behaviour to be consistent with the pedestrian negative damping model proposed by Arup in developing a solution for the Millennium Bridge. This model does not, however, explain the underlying mechanism causing the excitation, and a number of observations of the behaviour of the Clifton Suspension Bridge suggest that significant synchronisation of pedestrians did not actually occur. Although synchronisation may occur for large-amplitude vibrations on some bridges, the observations challenge the commonly held view that this mechanism is responsible for the initial rapid onset of lateral vibrations due to crowd loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper describes the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites as primary structural members. In particular FRP composite bridge decks are discussed and the Asset project, which comprised the development of a FRP composite bridge deck system, is described in detail. The analysis, design and testing undertaken within the project are also discussed in detail. The culmination of the project, the reconstruction of West Mill Bridge in Oxfordshire, is described and conclusions made on the particular advantages of using FRP composites for bridge decks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The £100 million A249 Iwade bypass to Queenborough improvement scheme includes a new road bridge over the Swale and the construction of road links on either side, improving transport links between the Isle of Sheppey and mainland Kent. The Highways Agency awarded a 30-year design, build, finance and operate contract to Sheppey Route Limited in February 2004. Sheppey Route Limited's contractor, Carillion, has designed and constructed the 5$6 km long A249 Iwade bypass to Queenborough improvement. The bridge and road project were completed during summer 2006. The existing A249 crosses the Swale via a vertical lifting bridge and there are long delays to traffic when it is raised to allow shipping through. The new Swale Crossing is a vital part of the scheme and will provide major benefits by reducing congestion and improving journey times on the route because it is high enough for ships to pass underneath. This paper describes the design, fabrication, erection and construction of the new Swale High-level Crossing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Manchester to Oldham line of the proposed Metrolink Phase 3 passes through the new Central Park business park utilising the existing track bed of a disused and dismantled heavy rail route. To the east of Thorp Road Bridge the new Metrolink route crosses the existing four tracks of the Manchester to Leeds Trans-Pennine railway. A post-tensioned concrete finback bridge has been provided to carry the new twin Metrolink tracks over the existing heavy rail route. In order to minimise disruption to the operational railway, the Finback Bridge was constructed in a position alongside and roughly parallel to the existing railway. Once the construction was substantially complete, the 6250 t bridge was rotated in plan through 218 to its final position during a weekend possession. The site constraints resulted in a reverse curved horizontal alignment with the consequential requirement to cater for significant torsion in the design of the deck. The deck solution was a box section finback bridge with varying fin height and fin wall thickness. The bottom slab of the box was extended to cantilever outside the central fin to support the Metrolink tracks. The superstructure incorporates two types of post-tensioning; internal bonded tendons in the deck slab of the main span and external unbonded tendons located inside the fin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of ground anchors to restrain the wingwalls and capping beams against the collision loads imparted on the structure by the high containment barriers in context to Windsor Branch Railway Bridge (WBRB) in England. This bridge carries the busy M4 motorway over a mainline railway and two public footpaths. The decision to strengthen the WBRB formed part of a major road improvement scheme between Junctions 5 and 7 on the M4 motorway. Design and construction was conducted as part of the Area 3 commission for the Highways Agency by managing agent Mott MacDonald, in collaboration with the contractor Costain.

This article identifies various ways in which a cost-efficient durable design of the New Medway Bridge of England was produced. The detailed design was carried out by Atkins for the joint venture contractor Costain Skanska Mowlem. The main span of 152.4 meter, the longest span in Great Britain for an externally post-tensioned bridge, was built by balanced cantilever construction with a parabolic profile to the deck soffit to match the appearance of the existing bridge. The site geology generally consists of made ground overlying terrace gravels and upper chalk.

This article reports that in 1996 the Cross River Partnership, an umbrella organization for the improvement of central London in England decided to promote new pedestrian links across the Thames alongside the existing Hungerford Railway Bridge south of Charing Cross Station. The lead authority was Westminster City Council. The bridges were opened to the public in 2002. A general description of the project and details of the design-and-build contract have been given elsewhere. A design competition was arranged, and six shortlisted teams submitted very different schemes such as a multi-span cable-stayed bridge with a concrete deck, a slender steel box girder, a truss that enveloped the railway bridge, a combined cable-stayed and beam bridge and a suspension bridge. Designs entered for architectural competitions are often unusual or innovative, and these were no exception. Each of the proposals would have had dynamic properties in service that would have been dependent upon the original concept, its design development, the construction methods employed, and a host of factors of varying degrees of predictability.

Reprints the paper "Description of the Clifton Suspension Bridge," presented by engineer William Henry Barlow as the first paper in the journal "Bridge Engineering." Account of the history and origin of the Clifton Suspension Bridge; Information on the mechanical details of the bridge; Graphics of the bridge; Contribution of engineer Marc Isambard Brunel.

The article describes the design and construction of a minimal-cost solution to a road bridge over a railway, on a restricted site, to open up land for residential development. Castle Bridge in England is an example of a minimal-cost solution to the dilemma of a restricted crossing of a main railway line within a residential development area. The works employs reinforced earth embankments, integrated bridge deck and abutment construction and pre-cast parapet solutions to overcome and minimize the safety, maintenance and cost issues associated with the scheme.

The article describes the fabrication and erection of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge by Watson Steel. The main package for the project was the fabrication, assembly and erection of the bridge superstructure. In 1998 Watson Steel was appointed as preferred contractor to contribute its knowledge of fabrication and erection to the scheme. On November 20, 2000 the Gateshead Millennium Bridge was lifted into place over Great Britain's River Tyne. The spectacular nature of the bridge design--the world's first vertically rotating bridge--and the audacity of the erection scheme attracted large crowds and significant publicity.

The article reports that on October 25, 2005, outgoing Institution of Civil Engineers' president Colin Clinton presented awards to papers published in Bridge Engineering in 2004. The Overseas Prize, presented for the best paper on an overseas project, was awarded to K. Ahmadi-Kashani for his paper "Seismic design of Egnatia Motorway bridges, Greece. The John Henry Garrood King Medal, presented for the best paper on bridges, was awarded to D.A. Smith and C. R. Hendy for their paper "Design of the New Medway Bridge, England."

The article comments on the art of bridge building in reference to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in England. The art of bridge building has been practiced successfully in Great Britain since prehistoric times. Perhaps the golden age of British bridge building was the mid-nineteenth century when engineers Marc Isambard Brunel and Robert Stephenson were constructing road and railway bridges requiring major high-level crossings. The contribution of these great bridge builders continues to capture the imagination and admiration of the public, as confirmed in a recent poll in Great Britain where Brunel was voted the second most influential Briton of the 2nd millennium A.D.