Sustainability Issues of Concern for Bridge Engineers in India

This paper highlights the need for sustainable growth of bridge industry in the country. It underlines the fact that in a world of finite resources, economic development has to go hand in hand with the social progress with protection of the environment. It overviews the current state of practice in the concrete bridge industry in India and broadly discusses what sustainable bridge design is all about. The paper also underlines the potential benefits of pursuing sustainable bridge design and flags the urgent need for a development of a National Standard for sustainable bridge design. The paper emphasizes the urgent need for a focused campaign to bring a paradigm shift in the mindset of the stakeholders (Clients, Contractors, Consultants, Cement Manufacturers…etc.) for moving towards a sustainable growth. Finally, the paper recommends certain immediate steps to be taken with respect to design of bridges to address the sustainability issue.