Global geo-hazard risk assessment of long-span bridges enhanced with InSAR availability

Dominika Malinowska (), Pietro Milillo, Cormac Reale, Chris Blenkinsopp and Giorgia Giardina
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Dominika Malinowska: Delft University of Technology
Pietro Milillo: University of Houston
Cormac Reale: University of Bath
Chris Blenkinsopp: University of Bath
Giorgia Giardina: Delft University of Technology

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract While a geo-hazard risk assessment of bridges is crucial for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, state-of-the-art methods for evaluation of risk neglect the temporal dimension of structural vulnerability, overlooking how monitoring systems like Structural Health Monitoring sensors and Multi-Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar can continuously track bridge conditions. Moreover, despite Structural Health Monitoring systems being sparsely installed, no research has quantified the global potential of this spaceborne radar-based technique as a complementary monitoring solution for bridges. This study introduces a method that integrates monitoring availability into structural vulnerability assessments and evaluates the global risk of long-span bridges affected by subsidence and landslides. Findings revealed that while fewer than 20% of bridges have Structural Health Monitoring systems, spaceborne monitoring could provide monitoring for over 60% of structures, leveraging Sentinel-1’s global coverage. Incorporating this satellite remote sensing approach into routine assessments could decrease the number of bridges classified as high-risk by one-third. Moreover, half of the remaining high-risk structures could benefit from spaceborne monitoring, highlighting the technique’s potential to enhance structural safety and resilience, especially in economically disadvantaged regions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64260-x

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