Climate change is dramatically increasing the frequency and severity of floods, storms, and sea-level rise, which has been placing enormous stress on infrastructure, communities, and economies. For instance, a recent study projects that by 2050, the U.S. Gulf Coast alone may face $32 billion annually in climate-related damages, particularly impacting areas like Harris County, Texas, and Broward County, Florida. Engineers are essential in building resilient systems to withstand these escalating threats and safeguard the public.
After Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers built the Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS)—a $14 billion network of levees, floodwalls, pumps, and barriers built to withstand a 100-year storm. Engineers incorporated conservative design assumptions, effectively giving the city protection closer to a “200-year” storm level. This robust system proved crucial in protecting New Orleans during Hurricane Ida in 2021.
The proposed East Shore Seawall (Staten Island) is a $1.5 billion, 5.2-mile coastal barrier with 6 m elevation height. It’s engineered to protect against up to 15.6 ft of flooding (2 ft above Sandy-era surge), while serving as an elevated linear park with wetlands, trails, and recreational areas.
In cases where hard infrastructure may not be viable, some U.S. communities—such as Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, or Valmeyer, Illinois—have participated in managed retreat efforts via government buyouts, relocating structures from high-risk zones.
Climate resiliency in engineering isn’t just technical work—it’s about ensuring safe, equitable, and sustainable communities in the face of accelerating climate threats. By combining robust design, natural solutions, and forward-thinking planning, professional engineers can lead the charge toward a calmer, more resilient future
In recent years, a troubling number of bridge collapses have made headlines across the country—from high-profile disasters to lesser-known structural failures in small towns. While many of these incidents stem from aging infrastructure, lack of maintenance, or environmental wear, they highlight a growing concern: our traditional methods of assessing and maintaining structural integrity may no longer be enough.
As civil engineers look to the future, one question is becoming increasingly urgent: Can artificial intelligence (AI) help prevent structural failures before they happen?
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), over 42% of bridges in the U.S. are more than 50 years old. While not all are unsafe, many require significant rehabilitation or monitoring. In fact, the ASCE’s 2021 Infrastructure Report Card gave U.S. bridges a grade of C, citing a significant maintenance backlog and limited resources for inspection and repair.
Bridges are subject to an array of stresses: temperature swings, vibrations, freeze-thaw cycles, corrosion, and increasingly, the effects of extreme weather events due to global warming. While routine inspections remain essential, many are still conducted manually and only every few years which leave long windows of time where small issues can escalate into serious hazards.
Traditionally, structural engineers rely on a mix of visual inspections, load testing, and periodic structural assessments. While effective in many cases, this approach has limitations:
The challenge is clear: to improve public safety, we need a smarter, faster, and more proactive way to identify weaknesses before they lead to failure.
Artificial intelligence is already transforming industries from medicine to transportation—and civil engineering is no exception. When applied to structural health monitoring, AI has the potential to:
For example, an AI system might detect an increase in vibrations or microcracks—well before they become visible to the human eye—allowing engineers to intervene early with targeted repairs.
Paired with technologies like drones and high-resolution cameras, AI can also analyze images for surface damage, cracks, or material degradation, creating a more complete and automated assessment.
Several forward-looking infrastructure projects are already leveraging AI to monitor safety. The St. Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis, for instance, was rebuilt with more than 300 embedded sensors that provide continuous data on temperature, strain, and vibration—feeding into algorithms that monitor structural health in real time.
In other cases, state Departments of Transportation have partnered with universities and private tech firms to test AI-based systems that combine drone imagery, machine learning, and IoT sensors to better predict structural issues—especially in hard-to-access or remote locations.
These technologies aren’t just futuristic ideas—they’re being used today to make bridges smarter, safer, and more resilient.
AI doesn’t replace engineers—it empowers them. With better data, faster analysis, and early detection capabilities, engineers can design more resilient structures, optimize maintenance schedules, and respond to risks more proactively.
For firms involved in bridge design, inspection, or rehabilitation, embracing AI means offering clients greater safety and long-term cost savings. It also positions engineering professionals as leaders in a rapidly evolving field where innovation is no longer optional—it’s expected.
As infrastructure continues to age and climate pressures increase, the future of structural engineering will depend on the ability to predict and prevent rather than simply react. AI offers a powerful way forward—but only when guided by the insight, ethics, and experience of skilled engineers.
By integrating smart systems into traditional engineering workflows, we can move toward a future where structural failures are the exception—not the expectation.
