Towards Sustainable Infrastructure: A Reliability‐Based Approach to Service Life Assessment

Abstract The service life and reliability of civil engineering structures are essential to achieving sustainable infrastructure development. This paper investigates how deviations in material properties, construction practices, and evolving load demands influence structural performance over time. It highlights the importance of data‐driven reliability assessments and demonstrates how partial safety factors can be recalibrated to extend the service life of both new and existing structures while maintaining defined reliability targets. The study explores the relationship between service life duration, consequence classes, and reliability indices, with a particular focus on structures designed for 50, 100, and 150 years. Practical applications are demonstrated using calculation methods for safety indices and thresholds for partial safety factors. The findings contribute to a framework for performance‐based evaluations, ensuring continued safety and cost‐effective infrastructure management.