Identification and Analysis of Factors Affecting the Future of Bridge Design, Construction, and Operation

Abstract

Various impacting factors, such as technology advancement, climate change, economic shifts, and evolving behaviors and preferences of travelers are occurring and evolving at an ever-increasing pace. There is also a growing realization among bridge engineers and relevant stakeholders that these changes will significantly impact bridge performance and bridge asset management over the next decades. However, there is limited research that offers a holistic understanding of what these factors are and how these factors will potentially affect bridges in the future. To address this knowledge gap, this paper presents an exploratory study that identifies the critical impacting factors on the future of bridges and examines how these factors would impact the ways bridges are designed, constructed, and operated. In this study, a total of 30 critical impacting factors were identified through in-depth interviews with bridge experts (N=21) from transportation agencies and a review of secondary sources of data, including published literature and reports on bridges. Based on the interview data, some of the most important factors include the adoption of new construction materials, new transportation facilities or methods, changes in the labor market, public-private partnerships, climate change, and sea level rise. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge by offering a holistic and explicit understanding of the multifaceted factors that could affect bridge design, construction, and operation in the future. Such understanding is important for decision makers and policymakers to introduce more proactive and timely policies and strategies that address the new challenges brought by these factors.