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Project title

Towards a Climate Resilient Adapted National Network of Bridges

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)

Lead Applicant

Myra Lydon

Project Abstract

The ability of existing transport infrastructure to absorb and recover from the projected effects of climate change is relatively unexplored. Bridges form a vital link in our transport systems, but they also carry energy, water, and communication networks, making them critical cascading failure points. The reliability and availability of bridges are two of the key climate-change relevant elements that need to be considered when preparing for uncertain future climate risks. They are vulnerable to natural hazards, in particular bridge scour is the leading cause of bridge collapse globally with recent data from the National Adaptation Framework highlighting scour as a high priority risk for the transport sector to mid-century. The estimated future cost for bridge adaptation to reduce the risk of scour currently stands at €541m/year between 2040-2027. The lack of data in relation to bridge structures and scour has been highlighted as a bottleneck for adaptation under uncertainty. CRANN aims to develop toolkits to support bridge investment decisions which consider economic benefits, mobility, public safety, and the environment while addressing the impacts of climate change. Newly developed technologies allow for new datasets and analytics to be exploited; and not incorporating such advances into current bridge management practice is a missed opportunity for improving the resilience of bridge infrastructure. The aim of CRANN is to adapt current bridge management processes to include sensor data, latest analytics, vulnerability analysis and citizen science to improve the assessment of scour risk under uncertain and changing climate conditions. No system currently exists that has the capability to be integrated into existing bridge management systems. CRANN will enable bridge owners to exploit available data and discover appropriate technologies to monitor and assess risk from hydrodynamic actions to bridges, identifying the bridges which are at the highest risk. Using the Northern Ireland road network as a full scale research platform CRANN will provide infrastructure agencies with a new, advanced risk assessment tool for existing bridge stock, leading to greater understanding of climate related bridge risks in an uncertain future. Additionally, the outputs will provide empirical evidence to support the adaptation of transport investment policies and recommendations to optimise benefit.

Grant Approved

�599,411.50

Research Hub

Climate Change

Research Theme

Climate Adaptation: Planning for an uncertain future

Start Date

31/03/2024

Initial Projected Completion Date

30/03/2028