Project overview
The Mushrif Park cable-stayed bridge is a steel bridge at Mushrif Park in Dubai, built for Dubai Municipality (DM). The design render shows a curving deck that crosses a road between the park’s trees, with looped ramps at each end and a single inclined mast holding the deck up with cables. Wrenze Steel provided full consultancy for the bridge.
Our scope
Full consultancy means Wrenze acted as the engineering consultant for the structure, rather than handling one isolated task. For a steel bridge, that role generally covers:
- developing the structural concept with the architectural form;
- analysing the deck, mast and cables under the load cases that apply to the bridge;
- designing the steel members and the steel connections, including the cable anchorages at the deck and mast;
- preparing design drawings and calculations for review by the authority;
- answering technical queries and reviewing submissions during construction.
Working directly for Dubai Municipality meant the design had to meet the municipality’s own requirements as both client and authority.
The structure
A cable-stayed bridge carries its deck on straight cables that run up to a mast, also called a pylon. The cables work in tension and pass the deck load to the mast. The mast works mainly in compression, with bending where the cables pull from one side more than the other. Because the cables are inclined, they also push the deck along its length, so the deck acts as a compression member as well as a beam.
On a single-mast bridge like the one in the render, balancing those forces is the heart of the design. The mast base and its foundation must resist the overturning effect of the cables, and every cable anchorage is a concentrated load point that needs careful detailing.
Bridges for people walking and cycling are also light and slender, so they can be sensitive to vibration from footfall. Checking the natural frequencies of the deck and its comfort for users is a standard part of designing a steel footbridge of this kind.
See our work on other steel bridges, read about our structural engineering consultancy service, or send your bridge project for a quote.
