POINT OF VIEW

Challenges in design and construction of

temporary bridges across water bodies
Vivek G. Abhyankar

introduction to this many options are explored and corners are cut in the
design stage. Though the maximum design loading on the
Construction of Jetties / Quay walls / Bunds / Bridges and
main bridge and temporary bridge is practically the same,
similar works in deep rivers or sea shore is a very challenging
cost of temporary bridge can’t be more than 5 to 6 percent
task, because of lack of accessibility, all along the length
of the main bridge (or as budgeted during tender stage);
of the new structure to be built. In such cases, contractors
also the construction time spent on it is a small fraction of
often use floating barges, Jack-up platforms (as applicable)
the complete project. All the above stated facts increase
for accessing such locations. But such floating devices can
challenges and constraints in the design and detailing of the
be used only if the depth of water is sufficient all along the
temporary bridges.
alignment; if the water level varies as per high/low tide, then
use of floating crafts may not be the right option. In such
cases to solve such problems for access often a ‘Temporary In this paper the author has attempted to present key
Bridge’ is considered as a solution, which provides an access features of ‘Temporary Bridges’ with a few hints / tips to
all along the new structure to be built. Thus a temporary the users and at a few places case studies are also given
Bridge is nothing but a short-life bridge, which is used as (note :- The temporary bridges described here are different
access to the proposed structure (Jetty /Quay / Permanent than the standard ‘Bailey Bridges’ often used in hilly roads
Bridge etc) for workers and construction equipment and by the military forces).
material to each location; and often runs parallel to the new
structure till the construction of new structure is complete.
Configuration
Usually a temporary bridge has steel piles driven in sea /
Being temporary in nature, often the responsibility of Design
river bed to support the steel beams and concrete / steel
and Construction of temporary bridge is left to the contractor.
deck, on which the construction vehicles / workers / cranes
Also during ‘tender-stage’ of the project, contractors rarely
etc. operate. Usually piles are vertical (racker piles are not
make a detailed provision of such bridge; hence after award
preferred due to difficulty in construction). The piles are
of the project an attempt is made by contractors to optimise
formed using steel liner plates (mostly 1000 mm to 1200
the cost of the bridge to the maximum possible extent. Due

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 POINT OF VIEW
mm dia and 10 mm to 12 mm Thickness). Piles are braced
using diagonal braces in both the directions. For design of
temporary bridges large scour depth of the piles (as that of
the bridge/ jetty) can’t be considered as it’s used for very
limited time duration. Hence apart from operating loads the
design has to be also checked for stability (under self-weight)
and actual live load even with a consideration as if ‘any one
of the pile in a span has got sunk / tilt (hence ineffective). The
piles are driven using vibro / drop hammers. For driving
steel piles ‘guide-frames’ are required so as to control the
drift of the piles due to water currents. A steel shoe / shear
lug may be required at the base of the steel liner pile to
increase its strength against driving forces. Figure 1 shows a
typical temporary bridge being constructed in a Ganga river
and pile driving in progress. For the design of such steel liner
piles API-RP.2A code may be referred (but slight relaxation
may be given on the member sizes and stresses, considering
temporary nature of the structure).
On the top of steel-piles cross beams and seating girders
are placed to support the load from main longitudinal
beams. Usually longitudinal beams / trusses are used to
directly support the load of crane track. On the top of such
longitudinal beams either concrete planks are used to act
(a) Crane launching the concrete deck
Figure 1. A typical view of temporary bridge being constructed in Ganga river
74 The Indian Concrete Journal March 2017
as a deck slab or alternatively secondary beams with the
steel plate / grating on top are used. Figure 2 shows typical
components in a temporary bridge in section and elevation.
The spacing of piles in the longitudinal direction depends
on (i) construction loads, (ii) Size / Stiffness of Longitudinal
beams / trusses, (iii) reach / access of construction equipment
/ cranes to drive piles in front (iv) clear water-way required
/specified by agency (v) and of course the capacity of the
liner piles.
Many times at abutment locations the construction agency
encounters with soft / clayey strata. In such case the firm
abutment can be formed by using ‘Gabion blocks’ / soil
bunds. Thus upto 5 to 6 m depths the bunds are used; upto
10 m depth the temporary bridges are used; about 10 m
depth of water barge / jackup may be used (as such these
are not the hard and fast rules but the general observations).
Construction of temporary bridge
Temporary bridges are often constructed using “End-on”
method, which means that the crane and piling rig stand
(b) Crane driving forward piles
POINT OF VIEW
on the shore line and drive first row of piles in the water.
As soon as first row of piles is driven, the crane places
steel beams / trusses on the top of the pile and abutment,
followed by the deck elements (concrete planks or steel
plates, handrails etc.); thus the first bay / span is read and
the crane / rig marches on it to drive second row of piles,
followed by placing the deck elements. Thus the Temporary
bridge construction progresses from shore towards inside
the water.
During construction proper care has to be taken to avoid
any over stressing of structural members / falling of objects
in the deep sea, striking of objects with other members
(during swinging with crane) etc. Often during construction

Crane

Handrails
Main Beams

Decking ( IN RCC OR STEEL)

Seating Girders Secondary / Cross Beams

Cross Bracings H.HFL

Steel Liner Piles

HFL

(a)

(b)

Figure 2. (a) Typical cross section of a temporary bridge (b) Typical longitudinal view with different components

The Indian Concrete Journal March 2017 75

 POINT OF VIEW
the stability of crane (forward lifting / side-ways lifting Soil bunds, sheet pile bunds versus tempo-
and swinging movement) has to be checked by structural rary bridge
designer and ensured at site. Figure 3a shows a typical
Some times to facilitate construction work in water, or for
position of cranes and also cross bracings between piles
providing access to equipment inside the water-way along
which plays most important role in the stability of spans of
the length, contractors construct a soil bund; which is a
temporary bridge. Sometimes to support the main beams
popular and affordable option for construction. Figure 3b
over piles / cross beams, friction camps or pile muffs are
shows a typical soil bund with crane operating on it. But
used [1].
bund construction takes a large time, also it virtually blocks

Handrails

Steel Decking

Steel Liner Piles

Concrete Plug
Crane lifting load in transverse direction Crane lifting load in longitudinal direction

Figure 3a. Typical cross section of crane operating on a 'Temporary Bridge'

76 The Indian Concrete Journal March 2017

POINT OF VIEW
the flow of water, hence cross drains / pipe-culverts are
required to allow passage of water below the soil-bund. Even
the maintenance of soil bund required is high as compared to
the temporary bridge. Also a bund can only ‘partially block
the river’ unlike the temporary bridge which can span across
for full width of the river / water body (especially during
rainy seasons). In wider and deeper rivers, the construction
of soil bunds is time consuming as well as costly affair
Surface protection
because of the depth and material consumption (typically
on the soil bund
Compacted soil fill beyond 6 to 7m depth).
Cross drainage pipes
(culvert)
Often clients ask for Steel Sheet-piled bund, especially in
case of deeper water channels. The construction of steel-pile
Typical cross section of a soil bund bunds also virtually blocks the water-way in rivers. It also
consumes lot of time and cost for construction. In steel-piled
Figure 3b. Typical cross section of 'Temporary Soil Bund' in water bunds, two walls opposite to each other are constructed by
and crane operating on it driving the steel sheet piles, then both these walls are tied
to each other using wire ropes / ties (if required in design).
Later the space between both the walls is filled using soil fill
/ gravels / stones. It may be clear that to retain the soil, a
cross-wall in sheet pile is also required at the end of the bund
ending inside water. Figure 4 shows a photo of a typical steel
sheet-piled wall.

Analysis and design of temporary bridge,

forces acting on the bridge
Apart from vehicular loads, cranes and workers, the
temporary bridge is subjected to wind and wave or current
forces. Temporary bridge is neither intended nor designed to
resist forces arising due to extreme nature events like seismic
/ tsunami being a temporary in nature (and a provision is to
be made in the insurance for such acts of nature).
Figure 4. A Typical steel sheet-piled wall bund

The analysis of temporary bridge as a 3D space frame is

beneficial to optimise the member sizes, but normal 2D
plane frame analysis could also be sufficient depending on
the magnitude of loads and importance of this structure.
Figure 5 shows a typical space frame model of a temporary
bridge / load out jetty. The bracing for the piles has to be
placed above high tide level so that they are accessible for
maintenance, and do not cause hindrance to the floating
bodies (like tree trunks etc.) during floods in rainy seasons.

In case the temporary bridge is to be constructed in the creek

portion, then reversible water load is experienced and has
to be catered to in the analysis and design by the structural
engineer, especially if the geometry is unsymmetrical in
cross section.

The Indian Concrete Journal March 2017 77

 POINT OF VIEW

Max Absolute
2
N/mm
<=128
122
232
341
451
560
670
779
889
998
1108
1217
1327
1436
1546
1655
>=1765

Z
Y X

Figure 6. (a) A typical view of friction clamp at analysis stage (b) and fabrication stage

It is worth nothing here, that a simple analysis software is
sufficient for analysis; simple line model is sufficient and no
sophisticated model using F.E.A etc. is needed. Often the
young generation of the structural engineers get carried-
away by the easy availability of such advance analysis
tools, but the end results of detailed analysis model is no
way different that simple 2D / 3D line model. The Deck
slab (precast concrete or cast-in-situ or steel) is usually not
modelled in analysis software, but simply designed and
detailed manually.
More than analysis and design, the detailing of components
for easy flow of forces in primarily important in the
Temporary bridges. The main beams are usually placed on
the ‘seating girders’ passing though the piles, but in rare
cases friction clamps can also be used to support the beams,
provided the load is primarily static in nature or lighter (viz.
Walkways). A typical friction clap during fabrication stage
and during use is as shown in picture below (refer Figures 6
and Figure 7).

Connector

Figure 7. A typical schematic drawing of friction clamp and actual photo of clamp installed on a pile

78 The Indian Concrete Journal March 2017

POINT OF VIEW
Figure 8. Typical view on temporary bridge placed close to a steel
sheet-piled cofferdam
Usually the forces acting on the temporary bridge are as
below.
a. Self Weight
b. Live Loads
• V e h i c l e L oad s - M ain ly Cons tr uct ion
equipments (like Cranes, Transit mixers,
Trailers / Dumpers), LMV
• Worker’s Gang / Gang Load
c. Water Load – current / wave forces
d. Wind Load
e. Small floating vessels Birth and mooring loads in
case of load out jetty. Figure 5 shows that the front
row steel piles are slight raised above the bridge, for
mooring the vessels.
Planning for temporary bridge
While planning for the temporary bridge, site selection
is most important step. The site should be so selected that
the bridge is as close as possible to the proposed structure,
casting yards, batching plants, access roads (connectivity),
yet the length of the temporary bridge should be kept to
minimum. The water currents / wave forces, depth of water
should be minimal at the site selected to build a temporary
bridge. In case of a river or a creek temporary bridge is not
selected in location where the water channel has a curvature
to avoid eddy currents formed in water. Commonly, the
temporary bridge will be constructed within six to seven
months times and will be used for about two to four years
duration. The dismantling of the bridge also takes about two
to three months time.
While finalising the site for temporary bridge the engineer
/ construction team must hunt for a land which can act as a
firm (unyielding) abutment. If the casting yard (i.e. a place
where Precast units to be used for the main bridge are cast)
is close to the temporary bridge then it gives maximum
benefits during construction.
Sometimes in the river bridges, ‘well foundation’ is proposed
by the Designer. In such projects, care shall be taken while
finalising the location of piles of the temporary bridge. Often
in deep waters designer specify use of ‘well-foundation’
below the bridge instead of pile foundation. In such cases
the piles of temporary bridge shall not be located ‘too close
to the well’. Refer Figure 8 where a steel sheet pile cofferdam
for well sinking is getting ready using access for equipment
from a closely spaced temporary bridge in US motorway
construction.
Some times during ‘sinking operation’ of wells the contractor
attempts for perform jetting/air-blowing of well-base
(especially if the well has got struck-up). In such situations
the well may suddenly sink in the strata due to air-blow
resulting into a sudden draw-down of adjoining peripheral
soil. In case the piles of temporary bridge are falling in the
‘draw-down region’ then they are expected to experience a
large lateral force (which is never accounted in the design).
Refer Figures 9 and 10 which show the phenomenon of
sudden draw down during air jetting and a large force acting
on piles due to which it got sheared-off.
At the time of Tender stage of the project, construction agency
must first visit the site along with the structural engineer
and a planning engineer and decide on various features of
temporary bridge including location, height, width, length,
span-length, bracings height etc. on preliminary level; in
case if the bracings are needed then make suitable provision
in the budget to avoid post-tender conflicts.
Maintenance of temporary bridges
Safe, easy operations and routine maintenance of Temporary
bridges is required. The bridge components are to be
protected from rusting of steel sections, proper handrails
and lighting arrangements should be provided at site so as
to make safe use of bridge during nights also. If the bridge
is long, then the designer should plan for a parking /cross-
over bay in the bridge.
When temporary bridge is used, the contractor should make
a provision of one or two small floating crafts and divers for
rescue operations in case of hazards.
Author was involved in design, planning and construction of
temporary bridges / jetties various projects like river bridge
over Ganga river (Munger), Mahanadi river (Bhubaneswar)
The Indian Concrete Journal March 2017 79
 POINT OF VIEW

Figure 9. Typical draw-down force contours due to well bottom air-jetting

(a) (b)

Figure 10. (a) Temporary Bridge that suffered due to sudden down-ward drag (sucking by air jetting) (b) Steel liner pile got sheared off at the
join location due to lateral sucking force (presence of bracing could save the entire structure)

80 The Indian Concrete Journal March 2017

POINT OF VIEW
and load-out structure in sea of Al-Ruwais(in Abhu-Dhabi),
Cuddalore Jetty project, Airoli Bridge Project, Dabhol project,
Railway Steel bridge over Zuari and Mandovi river. These
structures gave lot of understanding and learning about the
behaviour of temporary bridge and various other aspects
involved in planning-design-procurement-construction and
approval of temporary bridge, which is covered in above
paper in nutshell.
Summary and conclusion
Temporary Bridges are the Life lines in major marine /
river projects. Unfortunately such subjects are not taught
in our engineering curriculum. There are no formal books,
manuals available on the subject. Hence the young engineers
coming out from the colleges have to struggle when they are
required to plan and construct a Temporary Bridge at their
site. Often the cost cutting and negligence by the construction
team proves to be detrimental and could turn-out to be a
catastrophe. Temporary bridge is not a mere science but it
is an art; enhancing the performance of a typical temporary
bridge in night time by use of ‘radium bands’, ‘use of rubber
tyres as fenders to protect the structure from hitting a flowing
bodies in rainy season’ etc. are the practical ways every
engineer can device on his own at site as per the problems
faced. The current paper is written with an intension to give
a wider forum to this topic. It is practically not possible to
cover each and every aspect of it in detail in ten pages. Still
an attempt is made to touch upon most of the areas.
It may be clear from discussion till now that how temporary
bridge serves as an important lifeline in a typical bridge
construction project over a river / marine structures. One
can learn and master various aspects of planning, design,
construction and maintenance of this subject only by
thorough experience and involvement.
Acknowlegement
The author is highly obliged to his seniors, colleagues, friends,
sub-ordinates, his organisation for giving this opportunity to
write on this neglected topic. The author is also thankful to
the various organisations / institutes referred for preparing
the paper and will be very happy to respond to the technical
queries related to Temporary Bridges.
Bibliography
1. ‘Design and Construction Marine Friction Clamps’ (inclusive of
pile muffs) – discussion by authors of present paper on ‘Structural
Engineers Forum’ – www.sefindia.org
2. Technical workshops / lectures delivered by author on ‘Temporary
Bridges’

Er. Vivek G. Abhyankar, C.Eng (Ind), a Gold Medallist in Structural Engineering, is an Assistant GM
(Design) at AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd, Mumbai. He has seventeen years of experience in planning and
design, detailing of various enabling and permanent works in reinforced concrete and steel. He is a life
member of various institutes, professional trainer, visiting faculty for graduate and post-graduate students
in structural engineering, guide for AMEI projects in civil engineering. He has written various technical
papers, contributed to two books, has been a guide to various technical thesis, technical trainer and a
certified internal auditor.

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