Bristol Metrobus and Ashton Avenue Swing Bridge Analysis Case Study

Metrobus System and M32 Design Insights

Section: 1

Introduction

Bristol recently implemented the Metrobus system to enhance public transportation and lessen traffic congestion. The Northern Fringe to Hengrove line, one of the Metrobus routes planned, calls for interchanges between Stoke Lane and the M32 (South) (North). Concerns regarding the cost of building the footbridge with a slip road arrangement enabling Metrobus to leave the M32 were voiced during the planning stages. Some claimed that a different design that included South Facing slip-roads exclusively for Metrobus on and away from the M32 at Stoke Lane would have proven more economical and effective. The difficulty with this exercise is to create a substitute layout that would have permitted faster travel between Stoke Lane and the M32 while minimising. This assignment has been performed with the help of the software platforms such as “Google Earth”, “Magic Map Application’, and “Draw.io” respectively.

In the year of 2016’s June month, a new bridge was built over the place M32 and during this task, the motorway was closed for two weeks so that the construction can be safely and easily completed.

Section: 2

Strengths and weaknesses of design guidance

Bristol, England's Ashton Avenue Swing Bridges is a well-known landmark. It was constructed in 1906 to repair an earlier bridge and was built by William Henry Bartholomew. The bridge spans the River Avon and links Hotwells with Southville. Although its distinctive look and functionality have received accolades, it also has certain drawbacks and disadvantages.

The Ashton Street Swing Bridge's flexibility in opening and closing to let river traffic pass through is one of its advantages. The bridge door opens to something like a 76-degree angle, which is suitable for the majority of river traffic and pivots on such a central pier. By enabling boats and ships to navigate up and down the river, this feature has assisted in maintaining the vital link between Hotwells and Southville.

The bridge's exquisite and unusual design is another asset. The bridge has a lattice truss design with orntal ironwork, which enhances its charm. The bridge is regarded as a Grade II listed building and plays a significant role in Bristol's local heritage and history.

Yet, there are also several flaws and restrictions in the Ashton Avenue Swinging Bridge's design. Its inadequate capacity to handle excessive traffic is one of its key flaws. Buses and other large commercial vehicles cannot use the bridge because there is just one lane available for traffic. Congestion and delays may result from this, especially during peak hours.

The bridge's maintenance requirements are another flaw. Since the bridge is almost a century old, constant maintenance is necessary to maintain its dependability and safety. The bridge may need to be closed for a lengthy amount of time while repairs are made, which can be expensive and time-consuming.

In conclusion, this same Ashton Avenue Swing Bridge is a distinctive and famous building that has had a significant impact on Bristol's history and development. Although it offers advantages in terms of both design and operation, it also has drawbacks and flaws that need to be taken into account in its continuing upkeep and management (Shvetsova and Shvetsov, 2021).

Standards and Guidance

Any engineering construction, like the Ashton Avenue Swinging Bridge, must adhere to strict standards and guidelines. To ensure the safety, usability, and durability of the bridge, the designers would have had to abide by a number of norms, regulations, and standards. In this work, we will investigate how the guidelines and standards are delivered to the Ashton Avenue Swinging Bridge designers (Fraser et al. 2022).

The British Standards Institute would have been one of the main sources of guidelines and norms for the construction of an Ashton Avenue Swing Bridge (BSI). Standards and codes of practice are created and published by the BSI for a variety of engineering specialities. For instance, BS EN 1991-2:2003 offers instructions on what needs to be done, such as the impact caused by wind, transportation, and other loads, while designing bridges. To guarantee that the Ashton Street Swing Bridge could sustain the weights it was subjected to, the designers had to take those actions and associated effects into account (Dong et al. 2022).

Institute of Civil Engineers would have been another crucial source of advice for the construction of the Oxford Avenue Swing Bridge. The ICE is a group of professionals that supports and advises civil engineers on engineering projects. The "Handbook of Structural Engineering," which offers a thorough overview of the many areas of a truss bridge, including building system, material selection, and building methods, is one of many publications and recommendations on bridge design and construction that the ICE has issued (Patrman et al. 2019).

The several rules and codes of conduct pertaining to planning, environmental preservation, and health and safety would also have to be taken into account by the architect of something like the Ashton Avenue Swinging Bridge. The extension entryway opens to something like a 76-degree point, which is reasonable for most of the streaming traffic and turns on such a focal dock. In order to oversee safety and health in building projects, for instance, regulatory standards are outlined in the building (Management and Design) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). The bridge's designer would have had to make sure that the design adhered to these rules and that the necessary risk evaluations were conducted.

The architect of such Ashton Avenue Swinging Bridges would have had to take into account the unique needs of the customer, Bristol Town Council, as well as other stakeholders in accordance with these norms and laws. This would have taken into account factors including the bridge's aesthetic value, the effect just on the local environment, and capacity for various sorts of traffic. Overall, codes, regulations, and recommendations from organizations like the BSI and the ICE would have provided the designer with standards and direction for the construction of an Ashton Avenue Swing Bridge. The designer was going to be responsible for making sure the design met these standards as well as the demands of the customer and other stakeholders. A thorough grasp of the many components of bridge planning and building, as well as a dedication to ongoing education and knowledge acquisition, would have been necessary for this (D’Amico et al. 2020).

Figure 1: Street View of Stoke Lane

The above picture has been obtained from the platform of software known by the “Google Earth” in particular. The street view option has been selected for the sole purpose of highlighting the streets in this regard. In this context, the ‘Stoke “Lane” has been taken into consideration to perform the necessary objectives. The “South Bristol” link refers to the “4.5 km” express bus route as well as roadway which incorporates the new pedestrian and cycle paths along all of its length. It essentially runs between “A370” within Long Ashton as well as Hengrove Park. This in turn renders a number of benefits such as less congestion, fewer cars upon unsuitable residential road, enhanced access to the area in question, among others.

Figure 2: 3D view of Stoke Lane

The “3D” view of the “Stoke Lane” has been showcased by way of the picture above. The prominent locations which are adjacent to the aforementioned lane are also displayed for that matter (Argyroudis et al, 2019). The “South Bristol” link reduces the overall congestion and also takes the traffic away from all unsuitable roads by rendering an alternative link between “South Bristol”, the “A38”, and “A370” respectively.

Figure 3: 2D Grid view of Stoke Lane

The “2D Grid” view has been showcased with the help of the picture above. The lanes alongside are also displayed in this regard. In the present moment, the direct alternative “route runs along the “A3029 Winterstoke Road” via the “Parson Street Gyratory” and along either “A4174 Hartcliffe Way” or “A38 Bridgewater Road” for that matter (Leiman, 2019). One of the aforementioned roads d “A3029 Winterstoke Road” stays congested most of the time in particular.

Figure 4: 3D Grid view of M32 Motorway

The M32 Motorway has been displayed with the help of the above picture. This picture has been taken from the platform called “Google Earth” after fixing the concerned location in it. The utilization of the “South Bristol” link also assists the “Airport” in increasing the total quantity of passengers (Yelizyeva et al. 2019). The aforementioned link’s bus priority lanes along with segregation from the general traffic also helps the “Airport” to render reliable, easy, and effective access to the staffs and passengers.

Figure 5: Street view of M32 Motorway

The “M32 Motorway” has been displayed in the above in a manner d as street view for that matter. The metrobus service and the “Airport Flyer”, and the present “Bath Air Decker” can make use of this “South Bristol” link for that matter (Charging, 2019). The metrobus is designed for performing commercial service which gets operated without having any form of council subsidy.

Figure 6: Stoke Lane and M32 Motorway

The “M32 Motorway” and the stoke lane have been showcased in this picture. It can be witnessed that both of these passages have an apparent area of intersection in this case. This “South Bristol” link assists the bus operators to properly run the commercial service as the housing development takes place alongside.

Figure 7: Street view of M32 Motorway and Stoke Lane

The street view representation of the two passages in question is represented in the form of the picture above. This “South Bristol” link has helped in removing the traffic from the unsuitable roads. This in turn brings down the time of journey along with improving the transport links on the whole.

Figure 8: Location of Stoke Lane and M32 Motorway

The software platform d “Magic Map Applications” is taken into consideration in this case for the sole objective of generating the map pertaining to the “Stoke Lane’, and “M32 Motorway”. The surroundings are also incorporated into this map to display all of the connecting roads and lanes respectively.

Figure 9: M32 Motorway

The “M32 Motorway” is displayed in this case and that image is acquired from the software platform of “Magic Map Application”. The very high-quality infrastructure pertaining to the domain of public transports have been put in place before the residential areas for that matter. This fact fundamentally indicates that the people who come and move into the aforementioned areas are likely to utilize the bus service.

Figure 10: Map of Stoke Lane and Motorway M32

The above picture has displayed both the “M32 “Motorway’, and the Stoke Lane” in particular. Slip roads, often referred to as the exit and entry ramps, are a very crucial part of contemporary motorway and highway design. Slip roads in the framework of Metrobus essentially offers designated points of entry and exit for both the Metrobus system from and to the M32, shortening travel times and significantly increasing effectiveness (Li et al. 2022). The Slip roads' ability to split the traffic patterns, which can lessen congestion and increase safety, is one of their main advantages.

Slip roads can serve to reduce the chance of mishaps and crashes between automobiles, especially in high-traffic regions, by offering distinct entry and exit places. The adaptability of slip roads is yet another advantage. Slip roads can be built to meet particular site needs, which can improve their performance and lower construction costs. Slip roads, for instance, can be created to accommodate various vehicle types, like buses or large trucks, or to offer access to particular locations or amenities.

Figure 11: Slip-road onto and off motorway M32 from Stoke Lane

The image attached above has been acquired from the platform of software d “Dreaw.io”. The two roads that have branched off from the parent road are known by the Slip-road” in this context. The “M32” motorway and “Stoke Lane” have been taken into account to perform the necessary objectives. Two slip-roads are in existence and both of them have branched off from the “Stoke Lane” and got linked to the “M32” motorway. These south-facing “slip-roads” are for the passage of “Metrobus”, and one of them is onto the “M32” from Stoke Lane and another one has come off the concerned motorway from the Stoke Lane.

Table

Table 1: Route data

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