Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Introduction: Bridges to Prosperity
Keynote 1: Engineering Change
Keynote 2: Inspection and Preservation of the Iconic Golden Gate Bridge
- Overview of the various projects and engineering services HDR has completed to help preserve the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
- Types of projects include seismic retrofit of the North Anchorage House and Main Suspension Spans, first load rating of the entire bridge, various analysis and repair tasks, and rope access inspections, including the first ever close-up inspection of the suspension towers.
Industry Session
High Resolution Surveying and Inspection for River Crossings: A New Perspective
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Advanced imaging technology, historically used in energy sectors, now supports the full lifecycle (design, monitoring, maintenance) of marine assets, including bridges.
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Integrated sensors like Sonar, LiDAR, and cameras on vessels and drones generate accurate 3D point cloud data, delivered to asset managers via the cloud.
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Case studies, including Rochester Bridge, will demonstrate processing tools and how clients use this data in asset management workflows.
HS2’s Curzon No. 2 Viaduct
- Use of sophisticated digital tools to model and analyse a 150m-long high-speed rail bridge.
- Design of the weathering steel Warren truss.
- Complex launching methodology for the 4000t bridge.
- Lateral frequency considerations.
PAS2080 for Bridges
- What is PAS2080?
- How is it applicable?
- What does it mean for bridges?
Bridges Ten/20
The TEN/20 (aka Pecha Kucha) is a stand-alone session comprising mini presentations delivered at a blistering pace by exhibitors and delegates from local authorities and academia.
Presentations are vetted by the organisers of Bridges in partnership with ADEPT.
To suggest a presentation subject, email conferences@hgluk.com.
The deadline for submissions is 14 February 2026.
The Severn Crossing: Cable Inspection and Heavy Traffic Management
- National Highways introduced a 7.5t weight restriction on Severn Bridge in the summer of 2025
- This presentation will discuss the reasons for this, and then the ongoing work to reintroduce HGVs back on the bridge in late 2026
AI-Powered SHM: Real-Time Bridge Deterioration Monitoring with Embedded Sensors
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This case study details a live trial deploying SM:ART retrofit sensors on bridge infrastructure with Northern Ireland's Department for Infrastructure (DfI).
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The system uses embedded multi-parameter sensing and AI-driven analysis to provide early warnings of deterioration, supporting evidence-based maintenance and reducing life-cycle costs.
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Key insights, lessons learned from the first installations, and the potential implications for wider adoption across bridge networks will be presented.
Clifton Suspension Bridge: Maintaining in Perpetuity and Lighting for the 21st Century
- Discussing a recently completed £7.5M project to repaint key elements of the bridge and install a modern lighting system in a highly constrained environment, on budget and programme, with minimal disruption to bridge users.
- Reviewing the extensive community engagement at all stages of the project, and the context of the CSBT's twin commitments to maintaining the bridge in perpetuity and sustainable operations.
Closing Keynote: The Bridgemasters of London – 850 Years of Engineering, Ceremony and Scandal
- The role of Bridgemaster was established in 1176 to oversee the construction of Old London Bridge and the management of its properties, accounts and ceremonies. Over the centuries the position was office was often marred by financial fraud, election manipulation and negligence.
- This talk by one of the current Bridgemasters will give a fascinating insight into one of the most ancient appointments in bridge engineering, with tales of scandal and controversy and an insight into the modern role of promoting the charitable work of the City Bridge Foundation.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Keynote 1: Can We Rely on Engineering Judgement?
Keynote 2: Growing Potential for Wood in Bridge Construction
- Outstanding examples of construction in Europe.
- Changing perceptions of sustainability.
- Promising designs for cycle and heavy-duty bridges.
Bridges and Sustainability: Best Practice for Design, Maintenance and Replacement
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Climate Resilience & Biodiversity: Assessing carbon impacts on bridge resilience and integrating nature-positive solutions.
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Circular Economy & Lifespan: Measuring material circularity, minimising waste, and analysing the key factors influencing bridge service life.
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Social Value & Holistic Sustainability: Maximising social contributions and using frameworks like BREEAM to link all themes.
Industry Session
Embracing Change in the Bridges Industry: Learning from the Past, Leading into the Future
- The bridges industry must embrace change by learning from historical failures, adopting new technologies, and responding to climate, budget, and public pressures.
- Local authorities should focus on smarter asset management, risk-based decisions, and public engagement to do more with less.
- To enable change, we need to communicate effectively about what the problem is. This requires leadership, upskilling teams, data-driven decisions, and collaboration across departments.
Muon Tomography in Practice: Revealing the Hidden Details of Llanrhystud Bridge
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Llanrhystud Bridge on the A487 faces uncertainty due to missing drawings and undocumented post-tensioning and reinforcement.
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Conventional investigations (GPR, coring) failed to confirm these details, limiting structural assessment.
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Muon tomography, proven in Structures Moonshot, was deployed for the first time on a live UK bridge to deliver deep, high-resolution internal imaging.
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The presentation covers the on-site deployment, key challenges, and insights from the measurements.
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It also offers a customer perspective, outlining lessons learned and future applications for ageing, undocumented assets.
Scour – Expect the Unexpected?
- Scour is the biggest cause of bridge collapse in the world and asset owners strive to identify scour risk and implement mitigation.
- Despite detailed assessments and best intentions, scour can be unpredictable.
- This presentation focusses on strategies for managing scour at structures and recent lessons learned from unexpected events.
Humber Bridge: Why We Are ‘Raising the Barriers’
- Discussing how the Humber Bridge deals with distressed individuals currently.
- What next? The use of an engineering intervention.
Review of the New MCHW and What’s Next
- Review of the first six months of the new MCHW, which was launched in September 2025.
- Highlight some of the low-carbon opportunities now available for use now without departures.
- A look forward to future changes to the DMRB and MCHW including new ways to compile the work specific requirements, further steps in machine readability to enable human-assisted design and AI assisted authoring.