Bridge design and engineering

Arup works in active partnership with clients to understand their needs and aspirations, so that our solutions make their bridge programmes possible - big and small. We then bring together leading global experts across disciplines to create teams that can deliver world-class bridge engineering anywhere.

Collaborating to develop connections

Long-span bridges open regions to opportunity and link communities. Arup collaborates with architects, developers and the public sector to shape ambitious, pragmatic and enduring bridges that transform the way people live and work.

We have realised many of the world’s significant bridges. In the 1970s we spanned the Benue River to re-connect the north-east region of Nigeria cut off by annual floods. Since, the Øresund Link, which joins Sweden and Denmark, was completed ahead of schedule and on budget. Hong Kong’s Stonecutter Bridge, the world’s second longest cable-stayed span, was designed to withstand typhoon winds during construction and operation.

Major bridges today are increasingly sophisticated. We draw on Arup’s deep expertise in fundamentals such as wind engineering and seismic design as well as security, lighting, intelligent transport and more.

In a joint venture to design, develop and project-manage the Queensferry Crossing, Scotland’s largest infrastructure project in a generation, our integrated bridge team incorporates diverse skills including project finance, procurement, environmental, marine, geotechnics, landscaping, electrical, and mechanical disciplines.

Realising landmark bridge designs

Arup brings aesthetic integrity and technical virtuosity in bridge design within reach for our clients.

We often realise cutting-edge design for footbridges, such as Singapore’s much-awarded Helix Bridge. It mimics the double-helix structure of DNA and was made possible by an original structural solution modelled using Arup’s 3D software. In this virtual environment, we developed a design that achieved both stunning effect and surprising strength with efficient use of steel.

Innovating to improve infrastructure

Arup’s drive to advance bridge engineering also shapes our bridge solutions for highways and rail. For example, our Eight-Hour Bridge Initiative avoids the major disruption wrought by standard construction. We set a benchmark in concrete design with our Medway Viaduct for High Speed 1, which achieves a delicate profile in harmony with its surroundings despite being one of the longest concrete bridges built for the demands of high-speed rail.

Our expertise also helps clients get the most from existing bridges. We manage inspection and testing regimes for bridges from New York, USA, to Queensland, Australia. In the Netherlands, we are refurbishing eight critical long-span bridges to extend their useful life by 30 years.