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PROPOSED DESIGN OF SUSPENSION BRIDGE CONNECTING

BANCOD AND MATAAS NA LUPA ACROSS
JORDAN RIVER IN INDANG, CAVITE

Roxcell J. Gloriani
Mark Anthony V. Pulido

An undergraduate design project submitted to the faculty of the Department of Civil

Engineering, College of Engineering and Information Technology, Cavite State
University Indang Cavite, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with Contribution No.CEIT-2016-17-2-018.
Prepared under the supervision of Engr. Marcelino A. Dagasdas Jr.

INTRODUCTION

Bridges are structures constructed to carry different forms of loads including

pedestrians, vehicles, railways and canals. Bridges carry significant traffic and their

upkeep is very important to maintain transportation mobility. They offer grace and

functionality yet are extremely complex to construct and maintain (Alampali and

Moreau). They are designed per economic value, functions and the availability of

materials. These materials can either be timber, steel and concrete.

One of the types of bridges is suspension bridge. Suspension bridges are graceful,

aesthetic and iconic structures. Due to their attractiveness and visibility, they are well-

known symbols of major cities and countries in the world. They are also an essential form

of transportation infrastructure built across large bodies of water (Alampali and Moreau).
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A suspension bridge is fundamentally simple in action: two cables are suspended

between two supports (‘towers’ or ‘pylons’), hanging in a shallow curve, and a deck is

supported from the two cables by a series of hangers along their length.

Indang, as one of the fast-rising municipalities in Cavite and intending to be the

Last Frontier of the province, is located on the south-central part of the province

consisting of 36 barangays that are mostly separated by creek or river. To improve the

means of transportation within Indang, construction of bridges connecting different

barangays are needed.

One of these barangays where improvement of transportation system is needed is

Bancod. It is almost one kilometer away from the town proper of Indang. It is bounded by

Buna Cerca and a portion of Kaytapos in the south, Barangay Aguado of Trece Martirez

City in the north, Calumpang Cerca, Agus-os and Calumpang Lejos in the west and

Alulod and Mataas na Lupa in the east. Its land area is measuring 502.25 hectares of

agricultural, residential and commercial area.

Despite its land area, number of boundaries and population, Bancod has limited

bridges and road networks. Thus, making the area to be inaccessible, unserviceable, and

inconvenient to reach. It also limits the development of the community. Bridges and road

networks help the citizens to travel easily to the market or to their farm. Hence, a need for

construction of a bridge across Jordan River and a road network system for the residents

of the Mataas na Lupa and Bancod.

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Statement of the Problem

The study, “Proposed Design of Suspension Bridge Connecting Bancod and

Mataas na Lupa Across Jordan River in Indang, Cavite” aimed to answer the following

questions:

1. What structural designs and specifications was needed for the construction of

the said project?

2. What was the most economical sections and materials possible to be used for

the bridge?

3. What was the appearance of the bridge design?

4. What was the cost estimate of the materials to be used in steel works, concrete

works, earthworks and reinforcement for the construction of the proposed

bridge?

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study was to design a suspension bridge that is essential

to the design of safe and economical bridge.

Specifically, it aimed to:

1. conduct design of a bridge

2. provide architectural and structural plans

3. provide detailed cost estimate

4. provide a road network design connecting the two areas

5. produce a tarpaulin as an output of the said study

Significance of the Study

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The nature of the proposed project consists of a suspension bridge with road

network connecting Bancod and Mataas na Lupa at Indang, Cavite. This study may serve

as an instrument to enhance the skills and knowledge of the author in structural design

and analysis. Knowledge and ideas learned and acquired through years of studying may

be applied in this study.

The study may serve as a basis for future development of the transportation

system in Indang and may persuade the said area to make use of the bridge’s full

potential. In particular, the project is beneficial in associating its contribution to the

economy of the municipality.

The design project may also benefit the instructors, professors and students by

using this as a reference material for projects related to bridge development.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study focused mainly on designing a suspension bridge connecting Bancod

and Mataas na Lupa across Jordan River located in Indang, Cavite. Within this study, the

author established the location of the bridge and the design of the suspension bridge with

structural plans considering the dead load and live load from the moving load.

Additionally, the road network system was designed based from the data gathered in

surveying. The architectural plans and cost estimate of the proposed bridge and road

network system were also included. Also, a tarpaulin of the whole study was produced as

a presentation of the bridge design.

Time and Place of the Study

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The study was conducted at Indang, Cavite from October 2016 to March 2017 and

was evaluated at College of Engineering and Information Technology, Cavite State

University under the supervision of Engr. Marcelino A. Dagasdas Jr.

Definition of Terms

The following terms were conceptually and operationally defined for better

understanding of the study.

Abutment. It refers to structures located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge

slab adjoins the approaching roadway.

Anchorages of rock or concrete hold the cables at both ends of a suspension

bridge. Cables entering the anchors are separated into strands within the rock to distribute

the tension load.

Cantilever Bridge. A bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project

horizontally into space, supported on only one end. 

Culvert. A structure that allows water to flow under a road, railroad, trail, or

similar obstruction. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be

made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material.

Dead load. All the loads from the superstructure, such as, the wearing surface, the

deck, the stay-in-place forms, parapets, sidewalks, railings, bracing, connection plates,

stiffeners, signing and utilities.

Decking. The roadway, or the pedestrian walkway, surface of a bridge. It is not to

be confused with any deck of a ship. The deck may be of concrete, wood which in turn
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may be covered with asphalt concrete or other pavement. The concrete deck may be an

integral part of the bridge structure (T-beam structure) or it may be supported with I-

beams or steel girders (floor beams). The deck may also be of wood, or

open steel grating.

Foundation. The part of bridge in direct contact with and transmitting load to the

founding strata.

Girder. A support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross

section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the

term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller

beams. A girder is commonly used many times in the building of bridges, and planes.

Live loads are usually unstable or moving loads. These dynamic loads may

involve considerations such as impact, momentum, vibration, slosh dynamics of fluids,

etc.

Main Cables. Compacted strands of parallel wires carried back and forth across

the water. At the anchorage, each cable strand wraps around a strand shoe. It is stretched

from one anchor over the tops of the tower and attach to the opposite anchorage. Each

strand shoe connects to an eye-bar. The eye-bars are firmly cemented in the anchorage.

Pier. Intermediate supports of the superstructure of a bridge.

Truss. It is a structure compromising one or more triangular units constructed

with straight members whose ends are connected at points referred as nodes.