Cable-Stayed Bridge Built to Span a Century

This $245-million project called for reconfiguration of existing lanes, construction of additional driving lanes, reconstruction and reconfiguration of five interchanges, construction or reconstruction of 12 bridges and construction of the cable-stayed Christopher S. Bond Bridge across the Missouri River. All this was done to increase capacity for the 102,000 vehicles that travel the corridor each day.

Photos Courtesy of Parsons Corp.

As a result of value engineering, the Christopher Bond Bridge employs significantly less structural steel in its cable-stayed spans than originally envisioned.

Photos Courtesy of Parsons Corp.

The superstructure is supported by 40 stays radiating in a semi-fan arrangement from a single diamond-shaped, reinforced concrete pylon.

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The economic downturn during the early stages of the project prompted the Missouri Dept. of Transportation and project team members to rethink the design of various structures. Bridge superstructures designed to include structural steel were redesigned to include concrete girders, in much the same way that steel pilings were replaced with concrete ones.

As a result of value engineering, the Christopher Bond Bridge employs significantly less structural steel in its cable-stayed spans than originally envisioned.

The bridge is a two-span structure, with a superstructure consisting of a composite steel and concrete deck erected on floor beams and steel-edge girders. The superstructure is supported by 40 stays radiating in a semi-fan arrangement from a single diamond-shaped, reinforced concrete pylon.

Most transverse wind and seismic loads on the structure are carried through the composite deck diaphragm back to the pylon and through the pylon legs to the foundations.

The pylon consists of hollow box legs connected at the apex of the diamond and framed transversely by the strut below the deck. The strut provides framing action to assist in resisting lateral loads applied to the pylon and outward forces created at the hip of the pylon. The inward inclination of the upper pylon legs and corresponding inward inclination of the stays results in a superstructure system that is very stiff torsionally and provides superior aerodynamic stability.