Bridge Modelling and Structural Analysis in BIM

Digitalisation of the construction sector is one of the priorities in the European Union and one of the main technologies used for this purpose is Building Information Modelling (BIM). An important advantage of BIM is that it enables management of information about the built environment through all phases of the asset lifecycle: procurement, design, construction, operation and maintenance. Major promotion for the use of BIM in construction projects in EU member countries comes from the EU directive on Public Procurement and many public investments are related to infrastructure projects, including bridges. Indeed, in some countries, for certain public projects it is now mandatory to use BIM. This paper focuses on the implementation of BIM for bridges, which was overall much slower than for buildings. Some of the differences between BIM for bridges and BIM for buildings are pointed out, as well as what is identified as major barriers for implementation of BIM in bridge projects. At the same time, there are significant advancements with respect to openness and standardization on the international level, which are essential for widespread and effective use. Several software developers have taken on the challenge to provide bridge BIM solutions, some with the intention of using a single model for both physical representation of a bridge in blueprints and analytical calculations to design and verify mechanical resistance of the structure. This paper uses one such example to discuss current possibilities, some of the great advantages this technology offers, but also potential problems in the bridge BIM modelling procedure, when BIM model is used for structural analysis.