Composite Cable-stayed Bridges The Concept with the Competitive Edge

Recent tenders for three major cable-stayed bridges, Annacis Bridge in Vancouver at 1,525-ft span, Houston Ship Channel Bridge in Texas at 1,250-ft span and the Dartford Crossing in London at 1,476-ft span, have shown that in this span range composite construction can have a significant price advantage over other alternatives. Typically, these bridges comprise shallow steel plategirder cross sections with steel floor beams and a composite precast deck. This paper describes the evolution of the composite cable-stayed bridge, examines the reasons which currently make it economical and looks forward to developments anticipated in the near future.