Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
Canada’s national standards body has released a new bridge design code that, for the first time, requires engineers to plan for the long-term effects of climate change when designing highway bridges.
CSA Group says the 13th edition of its Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code, published as CSA S6:25, is the country’s first bridge standard to rely on predictive climate modelling rather than historic weather data alone. Earlier codes were based largely on climate records from the mid-20th century, assuming stable conditions.
Canada is warming at two to three times the global average, increasing risks such as extreme heat, intense storms, higher river flows and sea-level rise. With more than 50,000 publicly owned bridges nationwide, engineers and governments face growing pressure to design infrastructure capable of withstanding future conditions rather than past ones.
“Bridges are long-term investments in our communities and our economy,” Dwayne Torrey, director of construction and infrastructure standards at CSA Group, said in a statement. “This new code gives engineers the tools they need to design infrastructure that anticipates evolving environmental impacts.”
The standard includes guidance on designing for climate-driven hazards such as flooding, ice buildup and stronger windstorms. CSA Group says the approach is intended to extend bridge lifespans, reduce repair costs and improve reliability by anticipating environmental stresses that could emerge over coming decades.
The new code also establishes consistent national direction on climate-resilient bridge design — an issue that has been addressed unevenly across jurisdictions until now.
