Sustainable Bridge Design

The work consists of two interrelated parts. The first one presents general issues relating to sustainable development. There are examples of the road investments, in which the problems arising from the lack of a general approach to environmental principles and consequently sustainable construction occurred. In the second part, on the examples of culverts and bridges, selected technical cases are discussed.

The aim of the paper is to characterize the inconsistencies appearing during the bridge design process and maintenance in accordance to environmental categories. Several examples of the road-bridge investments carried out in the last decade have created the basis to formulate some opinions and questions.

The difference between the approach of bridge engineers and that of environmental ones to the concept of animal transition is shown on the grounds of implemented technical and environmental standards. The existing problems are of dual nature, the first group being very general aspects i.e. concerning the concept of ecology, while the other one involves detailed tasks, e.g. shaping the image of a bridge. Several questions of great significance have been formulated and addressed to ecologists. The answers are indispensable for bridge engineers to solve technical aspects of the proper, sustainable design of environment-friendly bridges.

Last but not least, the suggestion to use bridges as places for monitoring the environment in their surroundings is presented. This research work might be crucial for further good cooperation of bridge engineers and environmental ones.