Singapore’s transportation officials are going to try to build a 30-foot pedestrian bridge made from 3D printed concrete over a waterway. The project is aimed at trying to improve transportation options in the Jurong River and Temah areas and marks the first use of 3D printing for infrastructure in the country. The development of the specialized 3D printing mixture cost $1.4 million, and the project was done by the Singapore Center for 3D Printing at Nanyang Technological University, and also by the engineering consultancy Witteveen+Bos. The Land Transit Authority is managing the project, which recently passed a testing phase.

During this phase, the printed concrete segments made from cement, as well as sand and water, were tested under the weight of large water tanks weighing 1 metric ton each. The first printed segments created a scale model of the final bridge. Completing 10 segments took about 40 hours, which is an improvement compared to the two weeks that are usually needed to manually lay concrete. 

The actual bridge, though, is set to be completed by 2028, when the 10 segments will be connected with strong steel cables, equaling a structure that is 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. 3D printed bridges have also been built in China and the Netherlands, with the longest being 95 feet across a canal in Nijmegen. The bridge has a very well-made design, featuring sculpted conical feet that resemble a caterpillar.    

In Singapore, this technology is still new, and the load-bearing tests on the scale model will possibly guide more future uses. There is hope for success, especially since the labor shortages are affecting the company’s Land Transit Authority’s ability to tackle other similar projects.