Topic: Bridge Safety and Accessibility Improvements on the Storebælt Link, including a Model for Wind-induced Vehicle Overturning

Date and Time:  1 December 2023, 14-15.30 hrs CET. 

Register Now: Click Here (Organised by the Danish Group of IABSE).

Moderator: 

Lars Fuhr Pedersen is Vice President at COWI, in charge of Bridges & Civil Structures in Lyngby near Copenhagen, Denmark. Lars has worked 8½ years with Major Projects and Operation and maintenance as Technical Director/CTO at Sund & Baelt as an Infrastructure Owner with Bridges, Tunnels, Roads, Railways and ports. Before that, he was working as a Contractor for around 25 years.

Speakers:

Finn R. Gottfredsen is project Director at Sund & Baelt, where he is in charge of reinvestment projects. Finn has worked with operation, maintenance and upgrading of major infrastructure (bridges and tunnels) in Denmark and internationally for more than 25 years. 

Niels Bitsch is Project Director at COWI, Bridges and Civil Structures. 40 years experience as consulting engineer. Specialist within bridge design and operation and maintenance of especially major cable supported bridges.

Allan Larsen, MSc, is working in COWI since 1989 as lead for the wind engineering design. Since then, Allan Larsen has been responsible for the wind engineering design of several world class cable supported bridges including the Great Belt East Bridge, Hoga Kusten Bridge, Sweden, the Stonecutters Bridge, Hong Kong, the Osmangazi and 1915 Canakkale bridges, Türkye and the progetto definitivo design for the Messina Strait Bridge.

Summary of the Webinar: The Great Belt Link is the major connection between the eastern and western parts of Denmark with about 90% of the traffic volume crossing the link. The link comprises the 6.8 km long East Bridge and the 6.6 km long West Bridge with a small island (Sprogø) in the middle. In order to improve the safety and accessibility on this important link, measures have been implemented both to avoid accidents and to improve the accessibility if an accident should occur. The implemented measures include boom barriers, VMS-signs and movable central barriers as well as wind screens. In this webinar the analysis carried out concerning wind load on vehicles as well as the practical solutions implemented to improve safety and accessibility will be presented.

Topic: The Cebu-Cordova Cable-Stayed Bridge - An Example of Innovation and Resilience from Concept to Completion

Date and Time:  13 December 2023, 11-13 hrs CET. 

Register Now: Click Here (Organised by the Spanish Group of IABSE).

Moderator: M. Dolores G. Pulido, Chair, Spanish Group IABSE

Speakers: Daniel Muñoz, Acciona, JV Project Director; Julio Ruiz Cabrero, Acciona, Regional Operations Director; Javier Muñoz Rojas, CFC, Main Bridge Design Project Director; José Manuel Dominguez, CFC, Main Bridge Design Front Office Manager; Pedram Manouchehri, CFC Main Bridge, Special studies; Javier Fernández, Rubrica; Laura Granda, Acciona, Main Bridge Design and Temporary works  Manager.

Summary of the Webinar: The webinar will discuss the Cebu-Cordova cable-stayed bridge from conception to completion, focusing on its distinctive features and innovative solutions. Innovation and resilience are essential to the Cebu-Cordova cable-stayed bridge project, designed and approved in less than a year and built on schedule, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and Typhoon Odette.

The project will be jointly introduced by Acciona and Cowi. 

Acciona will present the key features of the project, including contractual and managerial particularities, and will highlight the challenges that had to be overcome in the Philippines context, where there was no extensive experience with projects of such complexity.

COWI, as the author of the reference design and technical advisor to the client throughout the process, will explain the crossing constraints, the original bridge concept that was prepared for the tender stage, including the aesthetic requirements, etc.

CFC will then explain the development of the initial idea into the construction project, with a focus on the modifications/adjustments proposed during the work development. Focus will be put on the more complex design challenges: seismicity, wind, ship impact, and the short construction period available.

Acciona will explain the main construction methods for each element, including the pace of work and the tools used to ensure that the project schedule was not jeopardized, even with the challenges of COVID-19 and Typhoon Odette. Rubrica will explain their unique form traveler, which is one of their areas of excellence. They will also explain how it was adapted for the Cebu bridge project's special accidental loads and deck characteristics.