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The Challenge

Ireland’s bridge infrastructure is facing increasing pressure from climate change, particularly through more frequent and intense rainfall events that elevate the risk of bridge scour, which is one of the leading causes of bridge failure worldwide. The picture below shows scour on a bridge pier. 

At the same time, managing bridge risk across Ireland is highly complex due to the fragmented nature of asset ownership and data systems.

Scour on Regents Bridge

A Fragmented National Bridge Network

Norther Ireland's road and rail network includes an estimated 26,000 bridges and is managed by the Department of Infrastructure (DFI). The Republic of Ireland’s road and rail network includes an estimated 40,000 bridges, managed by multiple organisations:

  • Department of Transport: Overall responsibility for the national road network
  • Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII): Manages the strategic and national road network
    • Around 2,000–3,000 bridges
    • Supported by the Eirspan system, providing high-quality inspection and condition data
  • Road Management Office (RMO): Oversees MapRoad and the Bridges App, intended to serve as a national inventory of regional and local bridges
  • Local Authorities (32–33 councils): Responsible for the majority of regional and local road bridges
    • Varying levels of data availability and digital adoption
    • Many bridges not yet fully integrated into national systems
  • Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail): Manages ~400 railway bridges, typically supported by detailed and well-maintained inspection datasets

Data Gaps and Limitations

Despite the existence of national systems:

  • Only ~18,000 bridges are currently recorded in the Bridges App
  • Of these, only ~5,000 bridges have up-to-date inspection data
  • There is limited or no detailed information for a large proportion of the remaining bridges
  • Many structures—particularly at local level—lack consistent inventory, condition, or risk data

This results in:

  • Limited visibility of national bridge risk
  • Difficulty prioritising maintenance and intervention
  • Inefficient allocation of resources

The Scour Risk Challenge

Bridge scour risk is particularly difficult to manage because it:

  • Requires hydrological, structural, and geotechnical data
  • Is often location-specific and event-driven
  • Is sensitive to climate change impacts (e.g. extreme flooding)

Given the scale of the network and gaps in data, traditional assessment methods are not scalable nationwide.