Professor Santiago Hernandez from the Civil Engineering School at the University of La Coruna gave a talk at WIT on "Rias Altas Link - Conceptual Design and Construction Procedure".
During his talk, Santiago discussed the following aspects of his proposal for a Rias Altas link, including : · The Rias Altas Link - Some reasons for this proposal
- Description of the Crossing
- Similar Projects around the World
- Social and Economic Reasons for the Project
- Construction Procedures
- Economic Impact of the Project.
The Rias Altas Project consists of three bridges linking the City of Coruna with Ferrol and other cities in that area. The longest, a suspension bridge, will have a length of approximately 4,000m with a main span of 2,200m. Another of the three bridges will be an arch bridge 500m long.
The Project is an ambitious attempt to improve the economic and social environment in the region. Similar to the recent crossings between Denmark and Sweden, the proposed Messina Strait Project in Italy or the crossing at the Corinto bridge in Greece. Many of these projects are now taking place all over the world, demonstrating the confidence of modern civil engineering to solve difficult technical problems, some of them as in Japan, Greece and Italy, involving earthquake as well as wind forces and even longer spans.
Bridges such as these are, in many cases, the catalyst for the development of cities and their adjacent regions. Santiago showed how these projects improved the local economy looking at the case of San Francisco, where the bridges were essential to the modern development of the Region.
Santiago also described the different construction procedures for these major bridge projects. The construction itself has a major influence in the local economy, ie before the bridge itself starts to link the region together.
The talk was illustrated by a series of videographs presenting the construction of a similar project and animated virtual views of the proposed crossing. Santiago's lecture presented an occasion for the launching of his new book "Practical Application of Design Optimisation" published by WIT Press. The book, 230 pages, priced at £98 or $ 148, or E156, ISBN 1-85312-886-4, can be ordered from them by FAX on +44-2380-292853, by E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the WIT Press web site: www.witpress.com (an automatic 10% discount will be applied to credit card orders placed via this site).
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