Academics > Undergraduate Degree Programs > College of Engineering > COE Departments > Civil Engineering > Senior Design Projects List > The Comparative design and analysis of concrete and steel bridges
Comparative design and analysis of concrete and steel bridges

Project Overview

Eastern province is one of the richest area with minerals. Also, it has a port. Which led to have growing industries. This made the Eastern province a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Specifically, Dammam, Dhahran and Al Khobar form the heart of the eastern province. These three cities are known as the Greater Dammam. The population of these areas is 4,140,000 as of 2012. The oil Industry of eastern province will help the vision of 2030 to be a reality.

These cities growth is extraordinary, compared to other cites in the Kingdom, where it reached to 13% a year. the fastest in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Arab world. In 2016 it was declared that the Greater Dammam is 4th largest area in size and population in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Dammam metropolitan area and the Eastern Province as a whole are served by the King Fahd International Airport (KFIA), the largest airport in the world in terms of land area (roughly 780 km2), about 20 km to the northwest of the city. Dammam's King Abdul Aziz Sea Port is the largest on the Persian Gulf. Its import-export traffic in is second only to Jeddah Seaport in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).


Project Objectives

The objective of this project is to compare the cost of two bridges with the same design. However, one is made of Steel and the other is made of Superstructure Post-Tension I-Girder of Concrete. Also, bridges will be Doubling of Dhahran-Oqair-Salwa Road Dammam to old Abqaiq Highway. Furthermore, the design of those two bridge must link between Old Abqaiq Road with half-moon road (Road #5). In this project will meet several objectives:


  • Design the project by using AASHTO and MOMRA standards, using SAP2000 software, and CSi Bridge software, which contains the superstructure, substructure and foundation system.

  • Avoiding Aramco’s oil piping system

  • Geotechnical design for abutment piers, retaining walls, and foundation system.

  • Comparative Design and Analysis of Concrete and Steel Bridges regarding their Structural design and Material costs.

  • To significantly improve traffic efficiency.

  • To connect between Old Abqaiq Rd and half-moon road (Road #5)

Presentation