PERSPECTIVES ON FUTURE HIGHWAY BRIDGE DESIGN: HIGHWAY BRIDGES OF THE FUTURE

There is a great deal of interest within the bridge engineering research community as to what will constitute the highway bridges of the future. Attention is being focused on high performance materials and smart bridges. While these are valid subjects for current and future investigations, for the next generation we are likely to find that most of tomorrow's bridges incorporate many of the features of today's or even yesterday's bridges. A large part of the inventory will not be so much new as renewed. Continued research expenditures are therefore warranted in the areas of life extension through remediation, improved analysis, and understanding of loads and load effects on existing structures. Much basic work remains to be done. It is necessary to maintain an open mind with regard to future possibilities.