Structural Concrete

1999, P I , N o . 3

Sept., l-9

The Yamuna Cable Stayed Bridge

at Allahabad, India: design and
construction aspects
E. Veje and P. Mfiller Nielsen COWI Consulting Engineers and Planners AS, Denmark

S. P. Chakrabarti and R. 6. Singh SPAN Consultants Pvt Ltd, India

For many years most of the major river bridges in lndla have been constructed as free cantllever concrete box girder bridges wlth spans of

approximately 120 m. The present paper presents an overview of the development of a cable stayed bridge, wlth due conslderatlon to local

condltlons, which has shown to be competltlve to the normal girder brldge option even with a main span of more than twice the normal. It

Is expected that the present design may form basls for new bridges to be constructed across the major rivers In India.

Introduction Project description and background

The Yamuna River is a tributary ofthe Ganga River. A new bridge will
be built across the Yamuna very near the holy site at the confluence
of the Yamuna and the Ganga, between the cities of Allahabad and
Naini.
Initially the project was based on concrete box girderswith 120 m
spans for the deep-channel portion of the bridge. However, a new
feasibility study was launched to explore larger cable-stayed span
alternatives. A number of cable-stayed bridge solutions with differ-
ent span lengths and materials for the
composite) were studied and compared costwise
concrete box girder solution. Also, other
aspects were studied, such as harp stay systems versus semifan
stay systems.
Based on the results of the feasibility study, it was concluded that
a semifan cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 260 m and
concrete deck would be the optimum solution forthe
portion of the river, and consequently this solution was adopted for
the detailed design stage.
The solution developed in the detailed design comprises a slen-
der concrete deck with two longitudinal beams (1.37 m high and
1.4 m wide) and a deck slab (0.25 m thick and 26 m wide). The
cable stays are galvanized locked coil ropes with fork sockets at
the upper pylon top anchorages. The pylons will protrude about
90 m above the river, and will be diamond-shaped concrete structures
resting on double D-shaped well foundations (size 10 x 20 m)
projecting about 40 m below the river bed.
The design of the bridge has been based on CEB-FIP Model Code
1990. However, for foundation design and live loads from traffic and
wind, current Indian standards have been used.
The Yamuna separates the city of Allahabad on the north bank from
Naini on the southern bank. The existing road which links Allahabad
to National Highway 27 crosses the Yamuna on a combined railway
and road bridge, built about 100 years ago. This old bridge has
inadequate capacity with regard to traffic and structural strength.
A new river crossing has to cater for a large volume of traffic between
Allahabad and Naini, due to the industrial growth of Naini. It will also
provide an important intra-state link to the cities of Mirzapur and
deck (concrete/steel/ Varanasi. The project location is shown in Figure 1.
with the original The project preparation was earlier carried out by Consulting
technical/economical Engineering Services(lndia) Ltd, New Delhi (CES). A solution with
large-depth box girders to be erected by free cantilevering of 120 m
spans for the deepchannel portion of the river was prepared. Figure
2 shows the general arrangement of the two solutions.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Surface Transport (MOST) received
deep-channel a loan from OECF, Japan, and engaged Cowl-SPAN JV for a
supplementary feasibility study and detailed design, and DRC
Consultants, USA, and CESfor a proof check.
Feasibility studies
Objective
The objective of the new studies was to explore the feasibility of
larger-span alternatives in concrete or steel. A large-span alternative
could be a guide for future bridges crossing wide rivers in India.
Bridge alternatives
The river was notionally divided into a deep-channel portion
(approximately 600 m wide) and a shallow-channel portion

1 4 6 4 . 4 1 7 7 0 1 9 9 9 T h o m a s Telford Ltd and fib 1

Veje et al.
Fig. 1 Location map
(approximately 500 m wide) to include flood plains.
Feasibility studies for module 1 (the part of the bridge crossing
the deepchannel portion of the river) have been carried out for the
following alternatives.
(1) Concrete alternative: span arrangement 60-115-260-
115-60 m. Different solutions with different types of pylons with
semifan or harp cable stay arrangement in a single or double plane
have been investigated. A pylon (Figure 3) with a double in-plane
semifan cable stay arrangement and deck section as shown in Figure
4 was found to be economically the best solution (see the section
entitled ‘Optimal solution’).
The requirement of 260 m as a minimum for the central span
arose to accommodate the horizontal navigational clearance of
240 m corresponding to two 120 m spans of the CES proposal. Two
60 m end spans were introduced, because the anchor stays are
distributed on both sides of the anchor piers to reduce bending
moments in the critical partsof the 115 m spans. Furthermore, the
weight of the 60 m spans results in the avoidance of upward forces
in the anchor piers. Finally, the southern 60 m span gives a good
transition to the following spans in module 2 (the part of the bridge
crossing the shallow-channel portion of the river).
2 Structural Concrete, 1999. Pi. No. 3
Ganga-Yamuna
confluence
\
(2) Concrete alternative: span arrangement 14S320-145 m. The
larger-span alternative proved to be approximately 21% costlier
than alternative 1 with the main span of 260 m finally adopted.
( 3 ) S t e e l a l t e r n a t l v e : s p a n a r r a n g e m e n t 60-115-260-
II!&60 m. A steel solution with an orthotropic steel deck was
considered. The cost estimate showed the steel solution to be
approximately 26% costlier than alternative 1 with the concrete
deck finally adopted.
(4) Composlte deck alternative: span arrangement 60-11%260-
11!%60m. The composite solution had a concrete deck and
longitudinal girders and cross-girders of steel. The cost estimate
showed the composite solution to be approximately 19% costlier
than alternative 1 with the concrete deck finally adopted.
Optimal solution
The principal criterion for selection of the optimal solution was
derived from specifications of ‘terms of references’ requiring an
‘optimum, aesthetically pleasing and feasible preliminary design’.
The harp cable stay system and the semifan cable stay system were
compared. The semifan cable stay arrangement proved to be 15%
cheaper than the harp cable stay arrangement.
The weight of the bridge deck was a deciding factor for choosing
the cross-section, because an increase in weight would increase
the cable stay cost, which was estimated to be of the order of 40%
 1510 m

Module 3: viaduct Module 1: cable stayed Module 2

_~~~~ 365 m 630 m -I- ~~ ~~ 515 m
Allahabad Naini

2 I-I--
0 m 13spansof25m=325m spans 7 of 60 m = /45
420 m m,

PI5 P16 PI7 PI6 P I 9 P20 P21 P22 P23 P24 P25 P26 P27 P26 A2

(a)

1640 m

Viaduct module 3 Deep-channel module 1

20 s p a n s o f 25 m = 500 m 4spansof120m=460m l0spansof50m=500m

t
I/ Exp. joint

Fig. 2 General arrangement of (a) the cable-stayed solution and (b) the box girder solution
0
Veje et al.

156.500 (160.126) of the total costs of bridge module 1.

The pylons for deck solution also have better proportions than
pylons for solutions with a larger distance between the cable stay
planes. The pylon legs below the deck level are inclined, to minimize
147.500 (149.126)
the dimensions of the well foundations. This type of pylon with a
semifan arrangement of cable stays in two vertical planes with a
deck section as shown in Figure 4 was recommended to be adopted
for the detailed design.

Cost estimates

For feasibility investigations, a cost comparison for the two bridge

options has been worked out considering unit prices from similar
works recently executed in India.
The costs for the bridge modules excluding contingencies, etc.,
were (April 1996) estimated as follows:

l cost of the cable-stayed solution: 792 million rupies

2500 l updated cost of the CES proposal: 869 million rupies.
-jj , ,5000 _~ 98.930 jf\ (100.558)
II 95.500 (97.128)
The main reason for the lower cost of the cable-stayed solution
was that the length of the viaduct on the Allahabad side (module 3)
could be reduced.

Hydrology, hydraulics and scour

The design discharge was computed earlier by using an empirical

formula. Some additional data were collected from other records,
and flood frequency analyses were carried out.
The general formula for flood frequency analyses is
6 68.500(70.128)
=I Q, = 25 000( 1 + 0.21K,)
where Q, is the flood peak (m3/s) of Tyears return period and K,
is the frequency factor.
Flood peaks, assessed for different return periods along with the
6500 /_
4 corresponding high flood levels (HFLs) are given in Table 1.
IRC: 51985, IRC: 781983 and the Khosla Committee of Engineers
recommend that a flood with a 50 year return period is used as the
Fig. 3 Pylon dimensions (millimetres)
design flood for bridges.
To provide for a reasonable margin of safety, the foundations for
the Yamuna Bridge have to be designed for a higher discharge to
Table 1 Flood peaks for different return periods cover a flood of 100 years return period. Therefore, the recommended
design discharge was 37 200 m3/s with a maximum high flood
Return period Frequency factor Flood peak discharge HFL
level of 88.0 m, as indicated in Table 1. However, the design
(years) (m3/s) Cm)
discharge was increased furthermore, as indicated below.
25 1.751 34200 87.0 The scour depth has been computed by Lacey’s formula. The mean
50 2.054 35800 87.5
scour depth (I?) is determined by
100 2.326 37200 88.0
1000 3.090 41200 89.3

Fig. 4 Typical section of the adopted cable-stayed solution (dimensions in

millimetres)

26000
I
 Yamuna Cable Stayed Bridge at Allahabad, India

R = 1.34(qZ/f)1’3 Shear studs

where q is the discharge per metre of Lacey’s regime width and f
is the silt factor.
The following design values were adopted:
l Design discharge: 42 000 m3/s
l Corresponding high flood level: 88.0 m
l Active channel width: 998 m (Lacey’s regime width)
l Average flow velocity: 2.6 m/s
l Maximum scour level:
- deep-channel piers: 50.0 m
- shallow channel piers: 55.0 m.

Deslgn criteria
The design of the concrete structureswas based on CEB-FIP Model
Code 1990. For the foundation design, Indian Standards and Codes
were applied.

Loads

For prestressing, characteristic values of PJx, t) have been used.

The variable loads considered are:
(a) Traffic load. Two lanes of class 70R or four lanes of class A
according to IRC: 6-1966, clause 207.1.
(b) Footway loading. According to IRC: 6-1966, clause 209.4. ::: I 6
(c) Braking force. Limited to 800 kN.
(d) Fatigue load. Cable stays are examined for fatigue load
0.5 x class A traffic load (without impact) with 2 x lo6 stress
cycles.

,I./ ,I1:. :.
(e) Wind. IS 875 (Part 3)-1987 is the basis for wind loads:
l For the finished bridge the basic wind speed (peak gust
I*., 900 ::: I
velocity for a 100 year return period averaged over about 3 s 4 '..I I ‘\ 4
.,* *-*
in 10 m height) is V, = 47 m/s. / I...-
...
\ .*. I ‘\
I. . ' 300 iii,
l For determination of dynamic effects, the hourly mean wind /I .,.
I. . .
. . . . II
...
‘\
speed has been used. Check of flutter is based on a wind I, ‘1
1000 ii;; , >
3 i ! 1;;: _ *.
speed of 1.45 times the hourly mean wind speed at the girder .*.I

:: 2)
/' ,fii I \.\ 3
level.
i I...
:;I
300
350
iii'
:::I ‘\
For stages during construction, wind with a return period of
l

10 years is used. i ‘, _-----.---- ,..I ‘\

(r) Water current. Horizontal forces from water current are based
on a maximum velocity of 3.0 m/s.
(g) Temperature.
flg. 5 Steel anchorage at the pylon top (dimensions in mm)
l Concrete structures:
- Uniform temperature change in the structure: f25%
(*20°C during erection)
- Non-uniform temperature distribution in bridge girders and
pylons: ship impact forces of 10 MN in the direction perpendicular to
the bridge alignment and 5 MN in the direction of the bridge
AT’ = +lO”C (+7”C during erection)
alignment. Other piers are designed for corresponding ship impact
AT- = -5°C (-3°C during erection)
forces of 5 and 2.5 MN, respectively.
- A linear variation through the concrete elements is as- (k) Accidental loads from earthquake. The site is in zone II,
sumed. however it is near zone III. Therefore, seismic forces
l Difference between temperature of cable stays and concrete corresponding to the average of seismic forces valid for zones
structures: f15% (*lo’% during erection). II and III are considered:
(h) Total friction in all bearings between expansionjoints, whichever
F, = 0.045G
is the greatest.
(i) Load from maintenance equipment. The cantilever slabs for (I) Accidental load on crash barriers. A horizontal force of 100 kN
footways and cycle tracks are designed for a vertical concentrated acting 0.75 m above the adjacent carriageway has been allowed
load of 40 kN at the most unfavourable position. The contact for.
area is 300 mm in diameter. (m)Accidenta/ crowd loading. A crowd loading of 5 kN/m* is
(j) Accidental loads from ship collision. The pylons are designed for considered to act as the only variable load.

Sfructural Concrete. 1999, Pi. NO. 3 5

 Veje et a/.

Fig. 6 Time schedule for cable-stayed part

I I
1998 11 I
12
1
I In I I I I

Wells and
- - - well caps
Pier - --_
shafts --._

4
5 /\ 15 m bridge
2000 8 / \deck

I 7
8
#. I Monsoon

12 / \
1 /
2 / \Bridge d e c k
3 / \
4 Closure /
5 joint at PI8 \
2001 8 Closure joint 1
7 at mid-span
8 Monsoon
9

Structural design - the design is based on cylinder strength fck, because the CEB-
FIP model code is based on cylinder strength (Table 2).
Concrete structures. Reference is made to CEB-FIP Model Code
l CEB-FIP Model Code 1990, clause 6.2.2.2: the coefficient 0.85,
1990. which allows for the influence of long-term heavy loading (which
l Exposure class: 2a. is excluded by the stress limitations below) is changed to 1.0.
0 Cover to reinforcement: 50 mm. l Partial factors r, (values in brackets are valid for accidental
l Design crack width: load cases):
- reinforced concrete structures: 0.30 mm - concrete: r, = 1.5 (1.2)
- prestressed concrete structures: 0.20 mm - reinforcement: r, = 1.15 (1.0).
Load combinations in serviceability limit states (SLSs) for l Relative humidity = 60%.
frequent situations are used for a check of crack widths. l Relaxation: strands in relaxation class 2 (low relaxation) are
l Concrete strengths: used for tendons.
- cube strength fC,cube will be used for material control . Load combinations for various situations are listed in Tables
3-5.
l Friction during tensioning of tendons:
Table 2 Cube and cylinder strengths for concrete

fe, cube (MPa) fck (MW q#$d = Qm, exd-Ma+ WI

In the design the following values of p and k are used:
30 2 5
37 3 0
p = 0.20
45 3 5
50 4 0
k = 0.007
55 45 9 Concrete compression stress limitations in serviceability limit
60 50
state:

6 Structural Concrete, 1999, Pl, N o . 3

 Yamuna Cable Stayed Bridge at Allahabad, India

Stage1

"
P15 P16 P17 PI8 P19 P20

P15 P16 PI7 prefabricated parts if P18 PI9 P20

bridge deck

Closure joint

P15 P16 P17 P18 PI9 P20

Stage 4

P15 P16 P17 P18 P19 P20

Fig. 7 Construction method for the cable-stayed bridge deck of module 1 tion with a full live load. Fifty per cent higher cable stay forces
are allowed for in case of rupture of any of the cable stays.

- a, 5 0.6f,,( t) under rare combinations

- cr, I 0.4fc,( t) under quasi-permanent combination.
l Tensile stresses in steel under rare combination:
- ordinary reinforcement: o, IO.8$,
prestressing steel: crs I 0.9fw,,,.
-
l The bond behaviour of prestressing steel is, as a reasonable
simplification, assumed to be the bond behaviour of ordinary
reinforcement.
Cable stays. The cable stay force for the permanent load plus
the full live load is less than or equal to 0.45 times the minimum
breaking load. A 25% increase in cable stay forces is allowed
during erection and replacement of a cable stay. Cable stays are
capable of being removed one at a time for replacement without
traffic restrictions. During cable replacement, all normal require-
ments for ULSs and SLSs are fulfilled except for the cable stays.
A sudden rupture of a cable stay is assumed to act in combina-
The bridge is divided into three modules:
module 1: from pier PI5 to pier P20 (the cable-stayed module)
l
. module 2: from pier P20 to abutment A2 on the Naini side
. module 3: from abutment Al on the Allahabad side to pier Pl5.
The span arrangement in module 1 is 60-115-260-115-60 m.
The details of this module follow:
. The 260 m main span and the 115 m side spans have two
longitudinal girders (18.2 m apart), 1.37 m deep and 1.4 m wide
supported by cable stays every 10 m.
l The side span girder depth increases gradually to 3.5 m near the
anchor piers PI6 and Pl9.
l The total deck width is 26.00 m.
. The thickness of the deck slab is 250 mm.

Structural Concrete. 1999, Pi. No. 3

Veje et al.

Table 3 General load combinations Table 4 Load combinations for in-service situations

Erection ULS SLS (a)

A B C A In-service ULS

Permanent Loads A 0 C D
Dead load (G) 1.0/1.25 1.0/1.25 1.0/1.25 1.0
Shrinkage and creep 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Permanent loads
(SC) Dead load (G) 1.0/1.35 IO/l.35 1.0/1.35 1.0/1.35
Earth pressure (E) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Shrinkage and creep 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Prestressing (P) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 (SC)
Hydrostatic load (H) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 E a r t h p r e s s u r e (E) 1 . 0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Variable loads Prestressing (P) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Wind load(W) 1.5 0.7 0.7 0.5 Hydrostatic load (H) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Water current (WC) 0.7 1.5 0.7 0.5 Variable loads
Temperature (T) 0 0 0 0.5 Traffic load (LL) 1.5 0.8 0 0.8
Temporary construction 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.0 Longitudinal forces (LF) 0.8 1.5 0 0.8
loads (TL) Wind load(W) 0.8 0.8 1.5 0.8
Water current (WC) 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.5
ULS. ultimate limit state
(b)

In-service SLS for rare or infrequent situations

l The deck slab is supported on cross-beams per 5 m.
. The cross-beams are prestressed by two tendons having
A B C
12 x 15.7 mm dia. strands. The tendons are tensioned from one
end. Permanent loads
Dead load (G) 1.0 1.0 1.0
l The cross-beams at the pylons have four tendons comprising
Settlements (S) 1.0 1.0 1.0
12 x 15.7 mm dia. strands. Shrinkage and creep (SC) 1.0 1.0 1.0
l In the central part of the main span, each longitudinal girder is Earth pressure (E) 1.0 1.0 1.0
provided with 12 tendons consisting of 19 x 15.7 mm dia. Prestressing (P) 1.0 1.0 1.0
strands. They are tensioned after the closure joint at mid-span is Hydrostatic load (H) 1.0 1.0 1.0
cast. Variable loads
Traffic load (LL) 1.0 0.5 0.5
. In the side spans near the anchor piers each longitudinal girder Wind load(W) 0.5 0.5 0.5
is provided with 10 tendons consisting of 19 x 15.7 mm dia. Water current (WC) 0.5 1.0 0.5
strands. They are tensioned after the closure joint is cast. Temperature(T) 0.5 0.5 1.0
l A temporary blockout has been provided in each longitudinal
girder near P16 (and P19) to make it possible to tension 10 of CC)
the total of 20 tendons for the adjacent 60 m long end span. The
In-service SLS for quasi-
remaining 10 tendons are tensioned from the opposite end. SLS for frequent permanent
situations situation
Module 2 has a span arrangement of 50 + 7 x 60 + 45 m.
Module 3 has a span arrangement of 20 + 13 x 25 + 20 m. A B A

Cable stays Permanent loads

Dead load (G) 1.0 1.0 1.0
The cable stays are galvanized locked coil ropes with diameters Settlements (S) 1.0 1.0 1.0
Shrinkage and creep (SC) 1.0 1.0 1.0
between 76 and 116 mm. The minimum breaking load varies between
Earth pressure (E) 1.0 1.0 1.0
5.77 and 13.60 MN (steel areas 3990- 9410 mm’). Prestressing (P) 1.0 1.0 1.0
The wire material has an o,, of 1570 MPa and an E modulus of Hydrostatic load (H) 1.0 1.0 1.0
160 000 MPa. Variable loads
The outer three layers of the wires in the cable stays have a Z- Traffic load (LL) 0.5 0 0
Wind load(W) 0 0.5 0
shaped cross-section. The cable stays will be painted.
Temperature(T) 0.5 0 0
At the lower anchorage the cable stays have sockets with a thread
and nut.
The cable stay forces are transferred to the longitudinal girders
through steel plates. The cable stays pass through the girders in are transferred at the pylons by brackets at the junctions of the
steel pipes projecting 1.8 m above the girders. At the top of the upper pylon legs and the lower cross-beam. All the bearings on
steel pipes, neoprene dampers and neoprene covers are arranged. top of the pier shafts are guided bearings. However, the bearings
At the upper anchorage the cable stays have fork sockets. have a little clearance transversely to avoid lateral restraint. The
clearance is, however, so small that the two bearings on the two
Arrangement of bearings pier shafts of a pier can act together in accidental load cases
(earthquake and ship collision).
Longitudinal forces acting on bridge module 1 are transferred to
pier P15.
Pylons
Transverse forces acting on bridge module 1 can be transferred
at the pylons and at all the piers in module 1. Transverse forces The pylons have solid legs. The dimension of the pylon legs in

a Structural Concrete, 1999, Pi. No. 3

Table 5Load combinations for accidental situations and for fatigue in Aesthetics
cable stays
The choice of span lengths, shape of the pylons and the depth of
Accidental Fatigue in the deck in the cable-stayed part of the bridge is important for
situations cable stays
the aesthetics of the bridge. The cross-section of the deck has
Permanent loads been chosen to impart a sense of slenderness and elegance.
Dead load (G) 1.0 1.0 Slender steel railings have been provided to contribute to the
Shrinkage and creep (SC) 1.0 1.0 light and elegant impression of the bridge. The slender pylon
Earth pressure (E) 1.0 0 legs and relatively slender columns for the piers also contribute
Prestressing (P) 1.0 1.0
Hydrostatic load (H) 1.0 0 to the general impression of slenderness.
Variable loads
Traffic load (LL) 0 0.5 Acknowledgement
Accidental load 1.0 0
Barge impact (BI) Permission by the Ministry of Surface Transport (MOST), New
or Earthquake load (EQ) Delhi, for publication of the paper is gratefully acknowledged.
or crash barrier load (CB)
or crowd loading (CL)

the longitudinal direction of the bridge varies from 2.50 m at the WI We

top of the pylon to 4.00 m just above the lower cross-beam (see Head of Major Bridges Department, COWI, Consulting
Figure 3 for pylon dimensions). Engineers and Planners AS, Parallelvej 15, DK-2800,
The lower part of the pylon legs is hexagonal in shape. The upper Lyngby, Denmark
cross-beam of the pylon is solid, and the lower cross-beam is hollow
with a provision for access. The upper cross-beam is provided with
six prestressing tendons, and the lower cross-beam is provided
with 20 prestressing tendons of 19 x 15.7 mm dia. strands. At the
top of the tower legs the stay cables are anchored to steel plates Pod Mfllkr Nielsen
protruding from the pylon legs (Figure 5). The pylons will be COWI. Consulting Engineers and Planners AS,
constructed using climbing formwork. Parallelvej 15, DK-2800, Lyngby. Denmark

Foundations

The pylon foundations are double D-shaped wells with dimensions of

10 x 20 m and a depth of 40 m.
The foundations for the piers in module 1 and module 2 are wells
S. P. Chakrabartl
with a 7.5 m outer diameter. Bridge module 3 piers are founded on SPAN Consultants Pvt Ltd. India
1.2 m diameter bored piles.

Construction methods and time schedule

The proposal for the time schedule is given in Figure 6.
The construction method for the superstructure in module 1 is
illustrated in Figure 7. For modules 2 and 3, the span-by-span R. B. Slngh
construction method is adopted. SPAN Consultants Pvt Ltd, India