Paul Van Hagen
Principal Bridge Engineer, Hardesty & HanoverPaul van Hagen, CEng FICE, is a Chartered Structural Engineer with a BSc from Kingston University, London, and over 34 years’ experience in the design, assessment, inspection, and construction of major, movable, and railway bridges. He has provided resident engineering services on numerous movable bridge rehabilitation and roadway reconstruction projects.
Paul spent much of his career in the New York region working for leading bridge design firms, most recently HDR.
My Sessions at Bridges 2026
Wednesday 11 March 2026
14:00
Engineering Motion on the Clyde: The Renfrew Swing Bridge
14:00 - 14:20
- Overview of the Renfrew Bridge, a twin-leaf cable-stayed swing bridge forming a key Clyde Waterfront crossing while maintaining a 90 m navigational channel.
- Design fundamentals of large swing bridges, including span balance, support systems, and management of live load, thermal, wind, and operational effects.
- Detailed discussion of critical mechanical and structural components, including slewing bearings, end wedges, span locks, live-load bearings, shock absorbers, and the bespoke Maurer nose expansion joint.
- Aerodynamic stability assessment and wind-tunnel-driven optimisation of the deck wind fairing to mitigate vortex-induced vibration.
- Fabrication, lifting, and marine transportation of the swing spans from the Netherlands, including global and local structural analysis during construction stages.
