Fifty years on from the UK’s motorway boom, much of the national bridge stock is ageing. Bridge replacement carries significant financial, political and environmental cost, and embodied carbon in new construction often exceeds that of repair or refurbishment. Extending a bridge’s lifespan was once an aspiration accompanied by lots of lip service, but it is now becoming an imperative.  Can the industry rise to the challenge?

This year’s IABSE British Group‘s Henderson Colloquium, chaired by our Director of Major Projects and IABSE British Group Executive Committee member Richard Scantlebury, will bring together engineers, contractors, clients, bridge owners, funders and specialists from 8-10th July at Cambridge University to examine, among other key questions:

* What actually governs bridge design life?
* Are current codes and inspection regimes fit for purpose?
* How has technology influenced our approach to bridge maintenance?
* How does the industry balance the cost of intervention against the risk of deferred maintenance?

The Henderson Colloquium, now in its 51st year, was conceived as a forum where invited participants can freely share their experiences, insights and opinions off-record and under the Chatham House Rule.  The IABSE British Group will be sharing learnings from the colloquium to the wider community throughout the autumn.