Kota Kinabalu: Some 110 engineers, students and construction professionals gained firsthand insight into bridge engineering during a one-day seminar organised by the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) Sabah Branch, featuring the Sungai Darau Pedestrian and Cyclist Suspension Bridge as a case study.
Sabah IEM Branch Vice-Chairman Paul Yap said the seminar provided participants with an opportunity to relate structural engineering principles and construction methods to a live infrastructure project being implemented in Kota Kinabalu.
The seminar, titled Pioneering the Future of Construction, combined technical presentations with an afternoon site visit to the bridge, which will link the completed Likas Bay and Sungai Darau shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists. The project is expected to be completed later this year.
Technical sessions covered post-tensioning in building structures, long-span precast segmental girder technology, suspension bridge construction and erection, and segmental arch bridge systems.
The speakers were Sor Kim Kiat and Aaron Chew Jun Yi of Specialist Engineering Asia Sdn Bhd, Roman Arn of BEBO Arch International AG, and Dr Low Hin Foo of OSD Consultants (M) Sdn Bhd and OS Alliance (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
During the site visit, participants were briefed on the bridge’s structural system, construction sequence, temporary works, cable-crane lifting operations, quality control measures and safety requirements for cable and deck works across Sungai Darau.
They also observed the reinforced concrete towers, main suspension cables, steel hangers, steel deck truss, concrete deck slab, foundations and anchor blocks.
At the time of the visit, installation of the main suspension cables and bridge deck works was in progress, while lighting along the two approach ramps had been completed.
In his opening remarks, Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) Engineering Department director Saiman Angak said the bridge forms part of the Kota Kinabalu Pedestrian and Cycleway Project, which is planned as a continuous coastal route linking Tanjung Aru, the city centre, Likas Bay and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
The bridge will extend about 460 metres, including a 100-metre suspension span, elevated reinforced concrete approach ramps and a four-metre-wide shared pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, complete with viewing decks and safety railings.
The project is being implemented by DBKK with Federal Government funding channelled through the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia).