Bridges in a changing climate: a study of the potential impacts of climate change on bridges and their possible adaptations

Abstract

Climate change may have multifaceted impacts on the safety and performance of infrastructure. Accounting for the different ways in which potential climate change scenarios can affect our infrastructure is paramount in determining appropriate adaptation and risk management strategies. Despite gaining some attention among researchers in recent years, this research area is still largely uninvestigated. Several studies have indicated bridges to be especially susceptible to the effects of climate change. This article presents the potential impacts of climate change on bridges and combines the findings of close to 70 research articles to construct a broad list of their possible adaptation techniques. Although this study focuses on bridges, many of the presented climate change impacts and their adaptations are of relevance also to other types of infrastructure.