A PYTHON-BASED SOFTWARE FRAMEWORK FOR CLIMATE-DRIVEN DETERIORATION MODELING OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGES: APPLICATION TO THE IMO RIVER BRIDGE, NIGERIA

Reinforced concrete (RC) bridges in coastal and humid tropical regions are highly vulnerable to climate-induceddeterioration, primarily due to chloride ingress and carbonation. This paper presents a Python-based softwareframework designed to integrate satellite-based climatic data and deterioration models for assessing the servicelife of RC bridges. The framework automates the retrieval of meteorological variables—including rainfall,temperature, humidity, and wind speed—via the NASA POWER database and applies chloride ingress andcarbonation depth models to simulate degradation trends. Using the Imo River Bridge in southeastern Nigeria asa case study, the study demonstrates how climate-driven deterioration can be quantified programmatically,thereby supporting predictive maintenance planning. Results reveal increasing vulnerability to chloridepenetration and carbonation under projected climatic conditions. The developed framework contributes to theemerging field of climate-resilient structural engineering by providing an open, adaptable tool for practitionersand researchers.