Structural health monitoring of bridge structures in cold climates

Among every natural factor (such as wind, earthquake, landslide, and flood), the adverse effects that a cold climate may arise are one of the most overlooked or ignored factors in the literature. Although cold climate effects on large structures have not been a concern worldwide, an increasing number of unfavourable incidents due to climate change forced official authorities to take appropriate measures. Numerous methods for preventing and removing ice from bridge structures have been explored during the last two decades, but none have been universally accepted as feasible. In the lack of suitable countermeasures, bridge owners attempt to prevent economically devastating bridge closures through weather monitoring and ice detecting procedures. This paper presents the most effective and widely available technologies for traffic management during icing incidents: ice detection and weather monitoring systems. This is followed by recent experienced incidents and lessons learned from extreme events in cold weather conditions; observations, recommendations, and potential preventative measures in the light of lessons learned will be presented.