Integrating fire safety into bridge design is essential for resilient infrastructure

Abstract

The frequent occurrences of bridge fires and the substantial disruptions and direct/indirect economic losses resulting from these events highlight the immediate need for effective fire-safety-oriented design of new bridges and retrofit approaches for vulnerable existing bridges. In this Perspective, we discuss why a holistic engineering approach integrating innovative fire analysis methods and structural design/retrofit strategies into multi-hazard and future-oriented risk modeling frameworks represents the way forward to more sustainable and resilient infrastructure in an uncertain and rapidly changing built environment.