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Abstract
This project will explore the design of a suspended footbridge that will be placed between the communities of Mbelebeleni and Nkiliji in Eswatini, Africa. Spanning 93.5 meters, this bridge will provide a connection between these communities providing access between the sides of the Black Mbuluzi River. Once completed, this project will serve over 3,300 people and 2,600 children by allowing access to essential resources year-round. Furthermore, the suspended walkway bridge will allow access between the communities during the flood season. The design was created partnering with Engineers in Action (EIA), a non-profit organization that aims to build sustainable infrastructure, supplying resources to underserved communities. The University of Southern Indiana (USI) Engineers in Action (EIA) chapter will collaborate with the chapters of Penn State University and Colorado University (CU) Boulder to create a safe and efficient bridge that EIA will construct in summer 2025. The report details the preliminary designs created early in the design process, as well as the finalized design. The project deliverables include the calculation page, checked by the design engineer in charge (DEIC) and the Engineers in Action team, as well as the full plan set. The plan set includes a bridge layout page, and detail pages for the walkway, steel crossbeams, fencing, suspenders, cables, and decking. The full plan set will be referenced during construction of the bridge beginning in May 2025.