Bridge Adaptation and Management under Climate Change Uncertainties: A Review

The management of civil infrastructure, including the allocation of scarce resources, is an engineering issue that now must also consider the highly politicized, highly debated hazard of climate change. Bridges, in particular, are increasingly vulnerable to damage as a result of the sea level rise, increasingly intense precipitation, and increasingly intense hurricanes that accompany climate change. This review paper focuses on the current challenges facing bridge owners and managers as a result of anthropogenic and natural climate changes. The complexities of the climate change are discussed and the current state of research regarding the direct relationship to anthropogenic climate changes, as well as natural climate patterns, is presented. Potential adaptation measures are outlined for repair and retrofit measures that may help mitigate the negative impact of climate change. Methodologies for planning under uncertainty, including stochastic and robust optimization methods, are discussed with respect to bridge management under climate change.