Singapore’s LTA to build country’s first 3D printed concrete pedestrian bridge
The 10-metre Jurong River crossing, developed with NTU and industry partners, is targeted for completion in 2028
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) is building the country’s first 3D printed concrete pedestrian bridge, with completion targeted for 2028. The structure will span the Jurong River, connecting residents from Jurong West to the new Tengah town, where additional housing developments are planned.
The completed bridge will measure 10 meters in length and be 5m wide, and is being designed for both pedestrian and cycling use. Research and development work began in January 2023, at a cost of approximately $1.4m, which covers the development of 3D printable material, engineering design, and the production and testing of a scale model.
The project is being carried out in collaboration with the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), engineering consultancy Witteveen+Bos, and 3D concrete printing construction firm CES_Innovfab.
The LTA stated that the method “has the potential to save manpower and time by reducing temporary structures and manual labor required to carry out construction works” in labor-scarce Singapore. The technology reportedly offers manpower savings of up to 50%, and reduces the time required to produce a single bridge segment from up to one day to four hours.
Structure, testing, and construction method
The bridge is being designed with 10 concrete segments that will be assembled and threaded with steel cables running along the full length of the structure. The cables will be anchored to concrete blocks at both ends and tightened using a post-tensioning technique to compress the segments into a single bridge deck.
A scale model measuring 10m x 2.5m — half the width of the actual bridge — has been tested using water-filled tanks to evaluate safety and durability. Eighteen water tanks weighing approximately one tonne each were used to simulate loads.
Allan Yeo, Deputy Director of Street Design and Infrastructure Technology at LTA, said the load capacity of the pedestrian bridge is the same as that of a typical pedestrian bridge. “Testing of the scale model has been completed, and data collected from the sensors will now be analyzed to validate theoretical design calculations and to ensure structural integrity,” LTA stated.
“This project is a pilot to assess its feasibility on specific applications in infrastructure implementation, and we will continue to explore its potential through further trials where appropriate, while keeping abreast of developments and opportunities.”
