Engineering the construction of the Stonecutters Bridge concrete backspans

One of the most challenging aspects in the construction of Stonecutters Bridge, Hong Kong, was the erection of the concrete backspan structures. At a height of about 70 m a geometrically complex grillage deck was to be constructed. The superstructure cannot support its own weight before the stay cables are installed; it was thus constructed on a unique falsework system required until stressing of the stays. The paper describes the development of the construction procedures, the construction engineering and the design of the temporary works. The work involved the accurate stage-by-stage modelling of the entire construction process to assess the structural adequacy throughout and to facilitate geometry control. The different strands of work were highly interactive and optimised erection methodologies, developed together with the contractor, led to a successful implementation of the project.