A SHORT HISTORY AND INTRO: GEO-ENGINEERING FOR THE COOPER RIVER BRIDGE

摘要

Upon its completion, the new Cooper River Bridge will have the longest cable stayed main span in North America. The project includes over 400 large diameter drilled shafts, three miles of elevated highway, and numerous embankments over poor foundation conditions. From a geotechnical perspective, there is a long list of design and construction challenges. Besides the large vertical foundation loads that may be expected for a bridge this size, a Charleston design earthquake of M 7.3 results in comparable lateral and overturning loads. The subsurface conditions include liquefiable sands and very soft, compressible marsh clays overlying the cemented soils of the Cooper Group. This paper provides a brief history and an introduction to the Cooper River Bridge. Its intent to familiarize the reader with the historical and technical significance of the project that is discussed in greater detail in the technical papers prepared for this conference by the engineers and seismologists responsible for the study and geotechnical-related design of the Cooper River Bridge.