Can Tho Bridge Vietnam
Post-tensioning for Vietnams longest-spanning cable-stayed bridge
Can Tho Bridge crosses the River Hau and is seen here from the Vinh Long bank.
With a 550m main span, Can Tho
Bridge is the longest-spanning cable
stayed bridge in Vietnam and
indeed the whole of South-East Asia.
The bridge over the River Hau is part
of a project including approach roads
and smaller bridges that carries the
four-lane National Highway No 1
Scope of works performed
Design and fabrication of two
form traveller pairs
Segmental construction of the
reinforced concrete main bridge
girder including the bearings and
pier tables
Supply of PT anchorages
Rental of PT equipment
Supply of PT ducting
over the final river-based hurdle to
link the region with the southern
capital, Ho Chi Minh City.
Previously, 13 ferries had to be used
to carry 60,000 motorcycles, 8,000
vehicles and 80,000 people every
day between the banks of the River
Hau, which is the largest tributary of
the Mekong River. Opening of the
bridge to traffic has reduced travel
times by an estimated 30 minutes,
thus dramatically improving traffic
flows to the southern provinces.
Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen
Tan Dung officially opened the
bridge on 24th April, praising it as a
significant catalyst for socio-
economic development in the Cuu
ID 1897
Long (Mekong) delta region. The form traveller pairs were
designed and fabricated by VSL.
VSL had been appointed by TKN
Joint Operation - a joint venture of
Taisei, Kajima and Nippon Steel - to
design and fabricate two form
traveller pairs and construct the
two 30m-long concrete pier tables
together with a total of 140 concrete
segments for the main girder,
working from the two pylons. The
box girder comprised a four-cell box
section with a width of 26m and
maximum depth of 2.7m. Each
segment was 4m in length with a
volume of 80m 3 of concrete. The 8m
spacing between stays along the
entire length of the girder required
the installation of guide
Casting of a side span closure segment
Tandem lowering of the bottom form
of a form traveller
Finishing works to a 4m-long segment
Stressing of post-tensioning bar
pipes and blisters in every second
segment.
Diaphragms were constructed at
each stay set using 12m 3 of concrete
following the main segment casting.
A longitudinal system of CT stress
bars ran the full length of the
concrete girder and was made
continuous by the use of staggered
connections. Post-tensioning was
also installed transversely in the top
slab, in the diaphragms and
longitudinally for continuity at pier
tables and connections with side
spans and the first steel girder
sections of the mid-span. VSL
installed a total of 160t of CT bar and
230t of strands in the structure.
Production levels achieved by VSL
exceeded expectations with cycle
times as little as 12 days for a pair of
two segments and a diaphragm.
OWNER
My Tuan Project Management Unit
ENGINEER
Nippon Koei-Chodai
MAIN CONTRACTOR
Taisei Kajima Nippon Steel Joint
Operation (TKN)
VSL ENTITY
VSL Vietnam Limited
VSL COMPLETION DATE
27th June 2009
This was achieved while maintaining
high quality standards.
There was good coordination with
the main contractor in constructing
the concrete-steel interfaces of the
mid-span steel girder. Work involved
the construction of tapered approach
segments incorporating curved
stress bars and longitudinal post-
tensioning. This was followed by the
lifting and alignment of the first steel
segments on each side together with
associated concrete stitch and
stressing work carried out from
inside the steel box sections.
Off-site work on the form travellers
began in October 2006, while on-site
work to the main girder started in
December 2006. All VSL segment
works were substantially complete by
27th June 2009, following which the
main contractor launched and
secured the steel segments forming
the 220m mid-span section of the
main girder. All road furnishings and
other finishing works required for the
main girder and the approach
bridges were also carried out and the
full scope of the work package was
completed in February 2010.
Edited 2008
www.vsl.com
ID 1897