Testing is complete on a new cradle system for cable-stayed bridges that advances design by making such structures more affordable and enabling engineers to employ a greater variety of pylon shapes. In this new system, designed by Florida-based Figg Engineering Group, a continuous cable stay runs from the bridge deck, through the cradle in the pylon and back down to the bridge deck. Within the curved portion of the stay, each individual strand of the cable is contained in its own protective tube. By eliminating cable stay anchors formerly required in the pylon, the pylon can be given a more slender and aesthetically pleasing shape. Additionally the load transfer to the concrete pylon occurs in a natural compressive state with stress applied vertically to the pylon.Under an Ohio Department of Transportation contract, extensive testing of the new system has been completed by Construction Testing Laboratories (CTL) at its Skokie, Ill., facility Accordingly, construction of the Maumee River Bridge in Toledo, Ohio, will mark the initial application of the system, creating what ODOT officials estimate will be a savings of over 3 million dollars.
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