Bridges with Multiple Cable-Stayed Spans

Michel VIRLOGEUX
Consulting Engineer and Designer
President of fib
Bonnelles, France

Michel Virlogeux, born 1946,

worked as civil servant in Tunisia
(1970-1974) and then in France at
the SETRA. Head of the large
bridge division (1980-1994), he
designed many bridges among
which the Normandie Bridge and
the R Island Bridge. Now
Consulting engineer, he worked
as consultant for the Portuguese
Administration for the Vasco de
Gama bridge.

Summary
This paper is devoted to a very important development of cable-stayed bridges, bridges with
multiple cable-stayed spans. Beginning with historical reference to pioneer bridges by Ricardo
Morandi, it evokes the very few bridges built with several cable-stayed spans and the projects
which were proposed without success. It ends with the presentation of recent and important
projects which evidence the possibilities of this new concept for wide river and sea crossings.
1.

Historical background

As everyone knows, the first attempts to erect cable-stayed bridges in the beginning of the 19th
century were unsuccessful with the collapse of the Tweed and Saale bridges; engineers ignored
at the time the real flow of forces and did not seriously consider wind effects even with a
simplified and purely static approach. The famous French scientist Navier "demonstrated" that
cable-stayed bridges were unsafe and that suspension bridges were to be preferred. This stopped
the development during a very long time, and cable-stays were only used in some suspension
bridges close to the pylons to stiffen the system; the best example is the Brooklyn Bridge, but
many others could be cited. In France, at the turn of the century, Gisclard increased the role of
cable-stays in his personal composite design associating suspension and cable-staying. The first
very pure cable-stayed bridge has been built in Spain by Eduardo Torroja in 1925, in concrete, a
cable just replacing a pier which could not be installed due to the site.
But the real and scientific development of cable-stayed bridges came with the ideas and the
papers by Franz Dischinger in the late thirties and beginning forties. Surprisingly, the first
application was in France by Albert Caquot, in 1952 and in reinforced concrete, for the bridge
over the Donzre Canal, some years before the well-known Stromsund bridge in Sweden.
Everyone knows the fantastic development of cable-stayed bridges which followed, in Germany
in a first step and in the whole world later.
But in the same time as the concept of modern cable-stayed bridges was being developed, with "flexible"
pylons and a continuous deck - and later with multiple cable-stays following Helmut Homberg, total
suspension initiated by Fritz Leonhardt and very flexible decks developed by Ren Walther and Jorg
Schlaich - Ricardo Morandi developed his own concept in a different direction, with extremely rigid
pylons (inverted V shape longitudinally, with an additional V to support the deck), rigidly connected to a
deck section cantilevering on both sides, and with simply supported spans to close bays between the
different cantilevers tied to their pylons. The first application of this concept was the Maracaibo Bridge,
designed by Morandi and completed in 1962, with six pylons and five main cable-stayed spans 235 metres

long (figure 1). The same principle was used by Morandi, but with two pylons only, for the Wadi Kuf
Bridge in Libya (main span 282 metres in 1971), and for the Polcevera Creek viaduct near Genoa in Italy,
with three pylons and two main cable-stayed spans (208 metres in 1964). It has been reproduced only
once by another designer for the Chaco Corrientes Bridge in Argentina with two pylons (245 metres in
1973).

Figure 1 - Structural concept of the Maracaibo Bridge

2.

The specific problem of multiple cable-stayed spans

As we shall see, the concept of Morandi's bridges is perfectly adapted to the specific problem of
bridges with multiple cable-stayed spans. Though evident, these problems must be evoked.
2.1 In a classical cable-stayed bridge with three spans, loading the main span produces its
downwards deflection and due to the tension variation in cable-stays the pylons bend towards the loaded
span; the cable-stays which suspend side-spans receive a tension variation to balance horizontal forces in
the pylons but due to the limited rigidity of the deck it deflects upwards and tension variations are
concentrated in the backstays, anchored at the abutment and which have anchorages fixed vertically due

Figure 2 - Structural behaviour of a classical three-span cable-stayed bridge

to their position (figure 2). This unequal distribution of tension variations in the cable-stays which
suspend the side-spans produces important bending forces in the pylons: the backstays, anchored on top,
balance alone the tension variations in the cable-stays suspending the main span. This is why it is
necessary to concentrate cable anchorages when the cable-stayed bridge has this classical configuration:
the reduction of the distances between anchorages in the pylons reduces the bending moments.
When a side-span is loaded, it deflects downwards, and due to the tension variation in the corresponding
cable-stays, the adjacent pylon deflects towards the loaded span; thus the tension decreases in the
backstays and in the same time the main span deflects upwards.
The backstays have a very specific role to stabilize the pylons, and receive the largest tension variations in
the bridge.
We have the same situation with cable-stayed bridges continuously extended by access spans on both
sides, where the group of cable-stays anchored close to the first pier on each side acts as backstays; and
with cable-stayed bridges having two spans, one shorter with the backstays anchored at the corresponding
abutment.
As demonstrated in many occasions, for example for the Seyssel Bridge (Travaux, October, 1988),
2.2
the design of classical cable-stayed bridges can be improved by the installation of intermediate supports in
the side-spans: when the main span is loaded, all cable-stays anchored in the side-spans act as backstays
since they are tied to an almost fixed deck at their lower anchorage; the deflection of pylons towards the
loaded span is thus reduced and the efficiency of cable-staying increased; even the downwards deflections
of the main span is reduced by the greater rigidity of the system. And when side-spans are loaded, the
load directly passes in the intermediate supports and there is practically no effect in pylons and main span.
The same of course applies to a cable-stayed bridge with two spans, when intermediate piers are installed
in the shorter one.
If we consider now a bridge with multiple cable-stayed spans, the situation is very different.
2.3
When one span is loaded, it deflects downwards; the corresponding cable-stays receive an increased
tension; the adjacent pylons deflect towards the loaded span and the adjacent spans upwards without any
other restraint than their own rigidity. There is no more any backstaying effect (figure 3). Deflections can
be only limited by the rigidity of pylons or deck, or of pylons and deck.

Figure 3 Structural behaviour of a bridge with multiple cable-stayed spans

The situation appears even more critical with the effects obtained when loading one of the adjacent spans:
the span which was deflecting downwards with the load now deflects upwards with large bending
moments, and the adjacent pylons deflect in the opposite directions.
The design must produce the necessary rigidity. One of the possible solutions consists in rigidly
2.4
connecting the pier below the pylon, the deck and the pylon, so that the pier rigidity takes part in the
restriction of deflections. But this immediately produces a new problem: the structural system must adapt
to the length variations in the deck due to the elastic shortening produced by prestressing forces installed
after span closure, to temperature variations and also to concrete creep and shrinkage.
3.

The Morandi's concept

Clearly the concept developed by Ricardo Morandi perfectly answers the different questions: the
3.1
pylons are extremely rigid and can directly balance the effects of live loads on either sides; and with the
simply supported spans between the cantilevers supported by the pylons, length variations can freely
develop. The single drawback of this solution is its high cost and weight; this is why - though it must be
considered as the pioneer one for multiple cable-stayed spans - it has not been reproduced.
3.2 But it inspired many designs, though none of them received an application.
- We can mention the project proposed in 1967 by Ulrich Finsterwalder for the Great Belt Bridge, with
solid and rigid pylons suspending a series of spans 350 metres long, with a very flexible deck and
expansion joints at mid-span in each bay ([5] p. 38; [7] pp. 17-20-33; [9] p. 142).
- And also the project for a bridge across the river Ganges in India, designed by Fritz Leonhardt with
ten pylons and nine central spans 159 metres long. Pylons were also solid and rigid, allowing for a
limitation in the number of expansion joints, only in some spans ([4] pp. 28-42-45; [7] pp. 33-34).
More recently, the Grands Travaux de Marseille - GTM- developed two important projects which had no
more success than the previous ones for the Great Belt and the River Ganges.
- The first one is part of the GTM Channel Project prepared in the early eighties, which comprised a
bridge on each side of the Channel to give access to a central immersed tunnel. Each of these bridges was
made of a series of complete cable-stayed cantilevers - composite deck rigidly connected to the concrete
pylon, and cable-stays -, totally prefabricated and installed with the help of heavy floating cranes on the
corresponding piers; the cantilevers were joined by drop-in spans to constitute a series of typical spans
520 metres long. This project was in the same time a prefiguration of the Rion-Antirion conceptual
design, and one of the first attempts to develop heavy prefabrication techniques which received large
applications later with the Storebelt Western Bridge, the Second Severn Crossing and the Confederation
Bridge in Canada.
- The second one, very much inspired from the Channel project, has been jointly proposed by GTM
and Campenon-Bernard for the R Island Bridge in 1986. The same concept was used of complete cablestayed cantilevers - totally in prestressed concrete this time -, prefabricated and installed on the piers. But
with spans limited to 140 metres, the cantilevers were only joined by expansion joints at mid-span in each
bay. The cross-section of the deck, proposed by Jean Muller and inspired from a previous idea by Pierre
Xercavins, consisted in a flat slab stiffened by multiple floor-beams and with side walks at a lower level
to produce the desired rigidity; we developed and applied this concept for the Burgundy Bridge at Chalonsur-Sane (Travaux, October, 1991 and July-August, 1992).
- GTM came back to these principles and very close to Morandi's ideas with the conceptual design of
the Rion- Antirion bridge, developed in the late eighties by Jean-Paul Teyssandier, Franois Lemprire
and Yves Maury's team. The bridge is made of four cable-stayed cantilevers, each resting on a large
foundation caisson which constitutes a pier in the same time, and of simple spans between the cantilevers.
Each cantilever consists in a four-legged pylon, rigidly connected to the composite deck, and of two
cantilever arms, 255 metres long from the pier axis. Each central span, 560 metres long, is made of two
cantilever arms - coming from the two adjacent pylons - and of a simple span 50 metres long. Each sidespan is made of one cable-stayed cantilever hanging from the corresponding pylon, also 255 metres long,

Figure 4 The peliminary design of the Rion-Antirion Bridge

and of a single span 50 metres long to join the cantilever with the end support (figure 4). The sole
difference with Morandi's design is that the cantilever - with its pylon - is not rigidly connected to the pier
below; to reduce seismic forces, the cantilever is installed on sliding bearings with a system of large
dampers in both directions - longitudinal and transverse - to limit seismic movements. We shall see later
how this initial concept has been amended and improved for a much better design.
4.

Typical solutions

4.1 Some other solutions than the Morandi's concept can be considered, though many of them are not
extremely elegant (figure 5).
4.2 One consists in introducing an intermediate support at mid-span in every second span. Of course
this is not always possible, and this is certainly the weakest way to introduce the necessary rigidity.
Fortunately, nobody dared doing it.
4.3 The second solution is inspired from suspension bridges, which are even less adapted to the concept
of multiple spans than cable-stayed bridges. To prevent pylons from bending towards the loaded spans,
they are connected from head to head by horizontal cables, headcables ("cbles de tte" in French).
Several French bridges built in the first half of the century have several suspended spans with such headcables ; we can cite the bridges at Chteauneuf-sur-Loire, Langeais
The same could be done for cable-stayed bridges, though this solution is probably not so efficient as for
suspension bridges since the structural rigidity of cable-stays is greater ; the additional effects of headcables may be more limited. In addition this does not look so elegant, with the introduction of a new line
in the structure, reducing the architectural simplicity. A unique project referred to this technique, the
winning design of the Poole Harbour competition, but construction is not yet decided.
4.4 A third solution consists in introducing, in addition to the classical cable-stays distributed to carry
the deck loads, diagonal cable-stays which are only installed to stiffen the pylons; a typical diagonal cable
is anchored on top of a pylon and at the deck level in one of the two adjacent pylons. Once again, this
solution introduces a new line in the structure, reducing the architectural simplicity. It has been adopted
by Jorg Schlaich for the design of the Ting Kau Bridge in Hong Kong. Since it has only three pylons and
two central cable-stayed spans, only the central pylon had to be stabilized by diagonal cables of this type.

The composite deck is supported on the piers by classical bearings so that length variations can easily
develop.
Almost the same idea consists in installing cable-stays from each pylon beyond the mid-span section of
the two adjacent spans; the central part of each bay is thus suspended from both adjacent pylons. But this
can be efficient only if the deck has a rather large rigidity.
4.5 Fritz Leonhardt proposed a last solution many years ago ; it consists in amending the distribution of
spans with a longer and a shorter one for each group of two. With a ratio of about 0.90 to 1.10 or 0.85 to
1.15, the shorter span stiffens the longer one. But this system also has serious drawbacks ; the differences
in span lengths and in the distribution of stays, is not so elegant, and in addition the distribution of
permanent loads is not well balanced, calling for serious amendments.
The Macau Bridge - designed by Jos Luis Cancio Martins with two central cable-stayed spans 112
metres long - can be related to this concept ; with two pylons and a very short span between the two main
spans, it works like two successive and independent cable-stayed bridges and cannot be considered as a
real reference for bridges with multiple cable-stayed spans. It has been completed in 1994 ([11] p. 52;
[12]).

Figure 5 A series of more or less acceptable solutions for multiple cable-stayed spans

5.

Distribution of rigidities

5.1 Finally, the best solution appears to be the research of an adapted distribution of rigidities between
deck, piers and pylons to resist bending forces and limit deflections (figure 6). From one extreme to the
other, several solutions can be considered :

- on the one hand, we can have a very rigid deck and flexible pylons on condition that spans are not too
long. Then the deck can be simply supported on the piers with pylons rigidly connected to the deck for
simplicity.
- Rigidity can be distributed between piers, deck and pylons with a careful attention to the deck length
variations.
- And on the other hand, we can have a very flexible deck on condition to have rigid pylons, either by
their shape (an inverted V, longitudinally) or their dimensions. Of course, bending moments must pass
from pylons to piers, either through two lines of bearings to adapt to length variations or with a rigid
connection between pylon and pier on condition that the design of piers adapts to the deck length
variations.

Figure 6 Distribution of rigidity between piers, deck and pylons

5.2 As already mentioned, length variations are produced in the deck by the elastic shortening induced
by prestressing forces installed in the structure after the span closure, by temperature variations and by
concrete shrinkage and creep. The design must be such that they can develop almost freely. Three
solutions can be proposed (figure 7).
- The first one consists in installing between piers and deck special bearings, sliding except on one, two or
three central piers - the number depending on the piers flexibility - where fixed bearings can be
introduced. There may be only one line of bearings on each pier if the deck is extremely rigid as already
shown (paragraph 5. 1) but there must be two lines of bearings to take advantage of the piers rigidity.
This solution is not so simple due to two different problems: if the bridge is very long, the displacements
produced by length variations produce load eccentricity (the deck and pylons move on the piers and
receive excentered reactions) ; and due to the heavy loads on the supports, friction on sliding bearings can
produce important bending forces in high piers.
- The second solution is more efficient and more elegant. It consists in producing a rigid connection
between the deck - which may be rather flexible - and piers made of two flexible parallel shafts. Such
piers are extremely rigid as regards rotations, but rather flexible as regards length variations in the deck.
This concept of twin flexible shafts was developed by Jacques Mathivat in the early sixties.

Figure 7 Solutions to allow for length variations with rigid piers

- The last solution consists in introducing an expansion joint in some - few - spans. But to avoid an
increase in vertical deflections, the continuity of bending moments can be restored by introducing a steel
continuity beam in the deck (figure 8) ; as done for example by Jean Muller for the Rogerville viaduct, a
rather classical prestressed concrete box-girder bridge. But this is possible only with a box-girder deck of
rather large dimensions, just to leave the necessary place.

Figure 8 A continuity beam to transfer bending moments through a joint

5.3 Though some of these ideas already appeared in one or two early projects, such as twin flexible
shafts, no real application was made of this global concept.
5.4 We can only mention that after the first competition for the Storebelt crossing another project was
proposed in Denmark for the Samso Belt, in 1972, this time with a continuous deck ; the project had four
spans 264 - 624 - 624 and 264 metres long ([5] pp. 313-314). The lateral pylons were stabilized by
backstays but the central one had to receive a very large rigidity. Of course - and as for almost all the other
bridges which will be evoked in this paragraph - the situation is extremely favourable with only four
spans.
5.5 Since this time some medium-span cable-stayed bridges have been built, almost unnoticed, with
several cable-stayed spans.

The first one is the Kwang Fu bridge in Taiwan, designed by T.Y Lin and completed in 1978 ([11] p. 10).
It has three pylons and two central cable-stayed spans, 134 metres long ; pylons have classical shapes and
a limited rigidity ; the effects of traffic loads are balanced by bending forces in pylons and deck - which
has a rather large flexural rigidity as compared to the span - and also by the side-spans with cables acting
as backstays due to the high deck rigidity. These backstays control the deflection in the lateral pylons,
only the central pylon being really flexible. Such a design has been reproduced in Spain for the Colindres
Bridge completed in 1993 with three pylons again and two central spans 125 metres long ([11] p. 49). But
the most important application has been for the construction of the Mezcala Bridge in Mexico, still with
three pylons and two main spans 312 metres long, completed in 1993 ([11] p. 44). Due to some specific
site conditions controlling the distribution of spans, the central pylon is taller than the lateral ones, as in
the Ting Kau Bridge.
We must insist on the favourable situation of these bridges with only three pylons and two central cablestayed spans. This is only an intermediate step between classical cable-stayed bridges with two pylons and
a central span and the real multispan cable-stayed bridges. The single application of really multiple cablestayed spans is the Arena viaduct in Spain, designed by Juan Jos Arenas and completed in 1993, with six
pylons and five central spans, 105 metres long ([11] p. 48). But the reduced span length limits the rigidity
problems in this bridge and prevents learning much from its design: the classical rigidity of deck and
pylons is perfectly adapted to the forces in such spans.
We must add that in all these bridges - Kwang Fu, Colindres, Mezcala and Arena - the deck is supported
on the piers with classical bearings to adapt to length variations.
6.

Geneva and Millau

6.1 Two very large projects developed in the nineties produced a gigantic step forward, for the Millau
viaduct over the River Tarn valley, and to cross the Lake of Geneva. We developed the concept for the
Millau viaduct in 1990-1991 but the design remained preliminary until 1993, due to the many obstacles
met by the project. Jean- Franois Klein and Pierre Moia took inspiration from it to design a bridge across
the Lake of Geneva in a project competition which they won ; they developed in 1993-1994 an excellent
project with a completely detailed design. Being in the jury of this competition, we have taken inspiration
from their project for the later development of the design of the Millau viaduct so that these projects
helped each other as it happens frequently.

Figure 9 The bridge designed to cross the Lake of Geneva

6.2 The Pont de la Rade in Geneva has four pylons and three central spans 350 metres long. It has a
slightly curved alignment for the bridge elegance (R = 900 metres). The deck is extremely wide, 33.46
metres. Its design is specially elegant, balancing rigidity between a relatively slender deck (an elegant
streamlined box-girder, 3.50 metres deep) and rather rigid piers and pylons (figure 9). Length variations,
produced by temperature, shrinkage and creep are permitted by the relatively limited distance between the
central point and the extreme pylon but also by soil conditions. Unfortunately a general votation is
necessary in Switzerland to build very large structures and the Geneva population voted against the
project for financial reasons.
6.3 The Millau viaduct is even more ambitious; almost 2.5 kilometres long, it comprises seven pylons
and six central spans 342 metres long with two piers about 240 metres tall. The development of the
project has been extremely complex, with an initial design by the SETRA and two design competitions, a
rather informal one in 1993 and a more formal one in 1995-1996. Five teams of engineers and architects
were constituted for this second competition, from the result of the first one and each in charge of
developing a different type of solution. The cable-stayed solution with multiple spans, developed from our
conceptual design by SOGELERG - Europe Etudes Gecti - SERF and the British architect Sir Norman
Foster, was selected in July, 1996 and we developed the project with this team between the end of 1996
and September, 1998.

Figure 10 The Millau viaduct (prestressed concrete solution)

Two alternatives are proposed, the deck being either in prestressed concrete or in steel with almost the
same design adapted to the specific conditions of multiple cable-stayed spans and to the extreme wind
forces due to the high position of the bridge in the valley. The rigidity is distributed between the deck,
piers and pylons. The deck is a trapezoidal box-girder with a rather narrow bottom flange so that it is
almost triangular; it is about 4.50 metres deep. The pylons, 90 metres tall, have the shape of inverted V
for a very high rigidity. The design of piers is more complex since the taller ones have to resist important
forces due to wind and to second order effects ; and the extreme ones - about 90 metres high - must adapt
to very important length variations due to the bridge size (about 0.80 metres). As soon as in 1992-1993,

with Emmanuel Bouchon we decided to have these extreme piers made of two parallel, flexible shafts
with a unique line of fixed bearings on top of each to increase their flexibility.
The architect later preferred to have the same design for all the piers; this led to the final design of solid
piers which divide into twin shafts in the upper part, 90 metres high (figure 10).
This very elegant bridge will be built - if decisions taken are applied - in the years to come with a
concession.

Figure 11 - The four pylons of the Rion-Antirion Bridge

7.

Total suspension

7.1 A last idea must be evoked to complete this overview : the total suspension concept. It has been
initiated with the Pasco Kennewick bridge and soon after for the Alex Frazer Bridge in Canada. It must
be clear that it adapts very well to the concept of multiple cable-stayed spans since it allows for free
length variations without any interference with the rigidity of piers and pylons.
This concept has been proposed by Bouygues and Pierre Richard for the R Island Bridge in 1986. They
proposed a cable-stayed bridge with a continuous deck, almost 2800 metres long and with a series of
central spans 210 metres long. Unfortunately, just after the successful construction of the Bubiyan Bridge
and at a time when the Syllans and Glacires viaducts were to be built, Pierre Richard preferred for the
deck an expensive three-dimensional prestressed concrete truss the cost of which eliminated the solution.
The deck was totally suspended from the pylons to adapt to longitudinal length variations - concrete creep
and shrinkage, elastic shortening produced by prestressing tendons installed after span closure and effects
of temperature - in complete opposition with the solution proposed for Millau and Geneva. Traffic loads
were perfectly balanced by the large flexural inertia of the three dimensional truss which constituted the
deck, and very classical, almost slender pylons could be designed in this situation.
7.2 This is why, when Jacques Combault asked for our opinion on the design of the Rion-Antirion
Bridge, we suggested to have a continuous deck, totally suspended from the four pylons. The concept has
been immediately adopted and developed with many advantages as compared to the initial design :
continuity, a regular distribution of cable-stays in the spans to perfectly balance loads... Rigidity this time

comes from the pylons, made of four legs with an inverted V-shape in both directions ; the composite
deck is rather flexible. The final project, now being detailed by GTM and Ingerop, has a continuous deck
with five spans, 286 - 3 x 560 and 286 metres long; and pylons are rigidly connected to the piers, a much
more comfortable situation than installing a cantilever on sliding bearings and dampers (figure 11).

Figure 12 The final design of the Rion-Antirion Bridge

8.

Conclusion

As evidenced by this survey, cable-stayed bridges with multiple spans might develop rapidly in the
coming years, specially if the Millau viaduct and the Rion-Antirion bridge are erected as expected,
evidencing the enormous capacities of this new structural type.

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