Life-cycle environmental and economic benefits of jointless bridges considering climate change

Abstract

The damage of expansion joints is a common problem of bridges, which adversely affects not only driving comfort and safety but also the durability of the structure. Jointless bridges can fundamentally solve this fragile problem. However, how to accurately assess its environmental and economic benefits has not been studied, specifically as climate change intensifies. To address these issues, this study first examines the effects of climate change on design expansion allowance of bridge expansion joints based on climate projections. Subsequently, the life-cycle environmental and economic benefits of two jointless bridges located in Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau Expressway are quantified under climate change scenarios. Moreover, uncertainty and random forest algorithm-based importance analyses are carried out to help decision-makers identify major environmental and economic factors and develop eco-friendly plans to facilitate jointless bridge construction. Results indicate the following: (1) the design expansion allowance of bridge expansion joints tends to increase with the time-dependent temperature and humidity; (2) the avoidance of traffic detours caused by the maintenance and replacement of expansion joints is a major source of life-cycle environmental and economic benefits; (3) traffic detour distance is the most important factor influencing the life-cycle environmental and economic benefits.

Keywords:

• Jointless bridge
• life-cycle assessment
• environmental benefits
• economic benefits
• climate change
• uncertainty and importance analysis
• random forest

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Major Program of the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 18ZDA043).