NZ Standard Footbridge Design

Last updated 6 Feb 2023

Are you looking for a FREE simple pedestrian bridge design to get your project started?

If you are wanting a cost-effective and simple pedestrian bridge design solution for your next project including free footbridge design drawings, images, and costing information you’ve come to the right place. See further down details about our “NZ Standard Footbridge Design”.

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Are you looking for an experienced footbridge design team?

If you are looking for an award-winning team of footbridge designers look no further. DC Structures Studio are a team of specialist footbridge designers and we offer the full range of services you will need to get your project up and running. See here a list of our bridge design and bridge engineering services including our 8 stages of bridge design. Examples of our work and a summary of our recent footbridge design awards can be found on our home page.

The FREE “NZ Standard Footbridge Design” (simple pedestrian bridge design)

The Standard NZ Footbridge Design is a cost effective and simple pedestrian bridge design solution for use in parks and urban landscapes. The bridge design is a steel beam system supporting timber joist and decking. The footbridge can carry pedestrians and cyclists and allows spans of up to 18m and usable widths up to 3m. It is designed to New Zealand standards by experienced and qualified and respected Bridge Architects and Bridge Engineers from DC Structures Studio. The aim of this footbridge design is to establish a standard pedestrian footbridge design for New Zealand that can be easily implemented into most New Zealand design situations.

The design is intended to help designers who need a simple, cost effective bridge for their overall masterplan but who do not want to commission a bridge engineer or bridge architect in the early stages.

Dan Crocker – DC Structures Studio

In many cases the design can be successfully modified using variations of colour and balustrade type to fit the specific context without further design inputs being required. The drawings are free to download and use.

If you at the early stages of your project you could check out our Pedestrian Bridge Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. If you are at the later stages of the process and want a helping hand check out the range of bridge design and bridge engineering services we can provide. Or if you simply want some footbridge design inspiration check out our portfolio on our home page.

Basic 18m Pedestrian Bridge Plans for Free Download

Note: The above images are low quality JPEGs for use as a quick example of the set and are not appropriate for project work. If the bridge plans seem suitable for your needs we recommend downloading the full PDFs below.

Access to Free Pedestrian Bridge PDF Plans:

To receive the high quality PDF set simply press the download link below:

Access to Free Simple Footbridge 3D Model:

The FREE and fully customisable Sketchup 3D model for the standard footbridge design can be found over at the Sketchup Warehouse – Standard Steel Footbridge Design (or click the image below).

Examples of bridges created using this set as a starting point.

The “Blue Bridge” in Cambridge (NZ) was a good example of a footbridge developed using the Standard NZ Footbridge as the baseline. In working with Waipa District Council and the Constructor (Spartan Construction) the balustrades were modified, a vibrant colour scheme slected, and the load carrying capacity was increased to discretely carry two large diameter water pipes. More info can be found here: Laurent Swale Footbridge (simple steel beam pedestrian bridge)

(above) “The Blue Bridge” – Cambridge, New Zealand. Steel Footbridge based on NZ Standard Footbridge design.

Why Do We Need a Standard Footbridge Design in NZ?

These designs are intended to be used for concept and feasibility stages of urban and landscape design projects. Landscape designers and councils often ask us if there are any basic bridge designs they can use to begin setting their overall masterplan and capital budgets. Until now the answer has always been “no”. As of 2017 none of the local councils in NZ, or the NZ Transport Agency, have standard designs for pedestrian or cycle bridges that are readily available to designers.

In the early stages of a project, councils, developers, and landscape designers want simple and reliable bridge options that fit to, and help set, their overall budgets. Making this design set freely available to all professionals is aimed at encouraging and more easily enhancing public spaces in and around NZ. This set aims to enable landscape architects and urban designers to setup public space masterplans and overall capital budgets that their clients can readily understand and hopefully accept prior to engaging other professionals.

Can I use these basic bridge design plans outside of NZ?

Simple answer is yes! This bridge has been designed for pedestrian design standards from New Zealand which can be summarised as 5KPa loading with a 1.5 live load factor, and a 1.35 load factored applied to permanent loads (AKA “dead loads”). This approach is in accordance with the latest version of the NZTA Bridge Manual v3.4. However, this loading is also consistent with the majority of international footbridge design standards such as those contained in Eurocodes (European) and AASHTO (USA). The steelwork design is based on universal beams (“I-girders”) and angle members (EAs and UAs) with yield strength (fy) of 300MPa which is consistent with globally available steelwork used for bridges. On this basis it is a reasonable starting point for most international applications during the footbridge concept stage.

Benefits from using a Standard Bridge Design

We are basically trying to set a “standard” design for small footbridges in NZ (and globally) by making our standard design and associated drawings free to download and use. The benefit for you is that you and your team can progress concept and planning phases with very little – or in most cases no – input from bridge/structural design professionals until the detailed design phases. Adopting standard bridge designs should help reduce your concept and planning phase costs thus making your team more competitive when delivering or bidding on work. The bridges are also pre-priced so they can serve as a good benchmark when setting your capital works budget for clients.

The benefit for us? We believe giving you the simple footbridge designs for free is the easiest way to show you what we can do. Assuming you are sufficiently impressed, we are on hand to help with any project specific modifications or alternatives you may need.

Colour Flexibility

The steelwork can be finished to a vast array of different colours including most of the Resene and/or Dulux colour palettes. Below are just some examples:

Standard Footbridge Cost

Understanding the likely cost of a bridge is often a critical part of any project. Although your client may want an “iconic” or “architectural” pedestrian bridge design, the first consideration should be “does the project budget actually stretch to include custom design and construction work?“. The Standard NZ Footbridge is intended to serve as a cost effective and simple pedestrian bridge design solution. We believe – based on our experience designing numerous footbridge designs in NZ – that it will be very difficult to deliver a code compliant footbridge, with a 100 year design life, for much less than that shown in the attached plans. If a more architectural outcome is sought – which we can help you with – this design will still have significant value for setting a good baseline cost.

The NZ Standard Footbridge has been costed by our main cost estimation partner True-Cost NZ

The bridge shown in the attached plans is estimated as of April 2017 at NZ$3,800 per square meter (+/- 30%*). This includes allowance for a concrete abutment with piled foundations, structural design, geotechnical design, cost estimate update, and fabrication/erection costs, construction monitoring (this is a full “no surprises” estimate for delivering the bridge).

Examples:

• 14.4m x 2m wide bridge ≈ NZ$110,000
• 18m x 2m wide footbridge ≈ NZ$135,000
• 14.4m x 3m wide footbridge ≈ NZ$165,000
• 18m x 3m wide footbridge ≈ NZ$205,000

The bridge “construction only” cost is $3,300/ per square meter (excluding consultancy fees).

More info relating to the price can be found in the cost estimate produced by Les Lewer of True Cost NZ. See link below.

We accept no liability for the accuracy of the estimate and strongly recommend the estimate is updated/developed once the projects specifics are confirmed (True-Cost can help with that if required).

*The cost of the NZ Standard Footbridge will vary depending upon site conditions, ground conditions, access, and location. Contact us for the specifics relating to the cost estimate assumptions. Global pricing may vary beyond a simple currency conversion but this is likely to be consistent with assuming a +/-30% accuracy.

Future Updates to the Standard Footbridge Design

Updates currently being considered:

• Vertical steel balustrade infill options;
• Stainless steel mesh infill;
• Timber balustrade options;
• Glulaminated timber beam alternative;
• Typical substructure options.
• Value engineering review (cutting cost or adding value).

After Concept Phases and During Planning Submission

So you have set a masterplan and you have agreed a capital budget using this standard footbridge design… what next? Prior to resource consenting a small geotechnical study will be necessary to confirm the ground conditions, geotechnical design parameters and provide bridge foundation recommendations. This is likely to consist of two borehole tests (one at each abutment location) followed by a small report summarising the ground conditions, geotechnical properties, and substructure recommendations. This study will then be used by your structural engineering design professional during the detailed design phase to design and detail a suitable abutment to support the bridge. The geotechnical foundation recommendations e.g. two 15m long 310UC driven steel piles with a 900D x 600B abutment beam (per abutment) should be added to the resource consent submission.

The bridge beams, decking and balustrades of this design set are pre-designed ready for construction to New Zealand standards as outlined in the New Zealand Building Code (as of January 2023). This approach to the design is intended to save your project time and money. At building consent stage and in accordance with the New Zealand Building Code, a Designer Producer Statement (PS1) for the bridge structure and PS1 for Geotechnical work will be required. Such services can be provided by your existing chartered professional engineering professionals (CPEng) once they have satisfied themselves that the design is compliant. Alternatively, you can contact us at DC Structures Studio Ltd to provide these services.

Or click the following link to learn more: the 8 stages of the bridge design process.