The future of bridges

Naeem Hussein, global leader for bridge design at Arup, discusses the art and future of this iconic branch of civil engineering.

Since the 1990’s there has been considerable development in the design and construction of bridges ranging from boutique footbridges to long span bridges and large sea-crossings. Widespread use of computers and involvement of architects has improved both the engineering quality and aesthetic appeal of bridges.

In many parts of the world waterways whether wide rivers, bays and estuaries have meant large detours and/or use of ferries thus severely hindering the movement of people and goods and limiting socio-economic development. This has led to the bridging of these waterways with road and rail bridges and since the 1990’s several large sea-crossing bridges have been built mainly in the Far-East. In North America many large bridges are reaching their service life which has been as short as 70 years and these need replacing. In the next few decades this trend is set to continue with more aesthetically appealing bridges and very large sea-crossings such as between Java and Sumatra, between Hainan Island and the mainland in China, between China and Taiwan, the Berring Starits linking Russia to Alaska, the crossing across the Red Sea linking the Arabian Peninsula to Africa, the Gibraltar crossing.