The flowing profiles of Abu Dhabi island's iconic third bridge to the mainland are slowly emerging as engineers struggle with the "almost unbuildable" structure. Like illuminated ribbons, twin decks of the 845-meter-long Sheikh Zayed crossing will sweep through waves of supporting structural boxes and curve in two planes to create one of the world's most radical highway bridges. Though dramatic, the bridge is "structurally illogical," says Mike King, project manager with structural designer/supervisor High-Point Rendel, London. Design took four times longer than the allocated nine months.
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