Design of river piers for the Second Peace Bridge
| Author(s): |
John Stephenson
Tim Wright Dave Yaeger |
|---|---|
| Medium: | conference paper |
| Language(s): | English |
| Conference: | IABSE Colloquium: Foundations for major bridges - Design and construction, New Delhi, India 1999 |
| Published in: | IABSE Colloquium New Delhi 1999 |
| Page(s): | 203 |
| Year: | 1999 |
| DOI: | 10.5169/seals-60760 |
| Abstract: | The Second Peace Bridge, to be completed in 2002, will double the capacity of the existing international Canada/U.S. crossing of the Niagara River, between Fort Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York. The existing bridge, completed in 1926, consists of five steel arch spans crossing the river plus one truss span over the navigable Black Rock Canal on the U.S. side. The new bridge similarly consists of five steel arch spans of identical lengths, plus one large arch span over the canal. The total length of the bridge will be 1064 m. The five river piers were designed by Delcan Corporation. North York (Toronto), Canada. Design was carried out in accordance with the 1997 AASHTO LRFD Code 111 and required careful interpretation of the prescribed load combinations to determine the critical design loadings for the piers. Further, it was necessary to establish acceptable limits on the behaviour of the piers. Design was further constrained by strict hydrological regulations prohibiting increases in the upstream surface profile. With the assistance of detailed finite element flow models, pier geometries were refined and optimized, virtually eliminating backwater effects. The result was a design which meets all structural, environmental, economic andaesthetic criteria. Additional consideration was given to constructability issues as peak flow velocities in the Niagara River (best known for the spectacular Niagara Falls, downstream) can exceed 4 m/s and will present a major Construction challenge to the contractor. In this paper, theauthors wish to demonstrate that intelligent design cannot be achieved by mere reliance on design codes, but rather on an informed and judicious interpretation of design code clauses, the establishment of acceptable standards of performance and sound engineering judgement. |
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