The project addresses a key challenge for the road transport network in Norway and Sweden: enabling heavier road transports while avoiding costly and extensive bridge replacements. Today, the allowable vehicle weights are often limited by a small number of critical bridges, and current assessment methods tend to be conservative. This project focuses on improving the evaluation of existing road bridges by developing more accurate methods to quantify the dynamic effects of traffic loads, with the aim of safely increasing the load-carrying capacity of large parts of the road network.

The core of the research is the development of bridge-specific methods for assessing dynamic amplification of traffic loads. By combining long-term monitoring data from existing bridge inspection programmes with targeted field measurements on selected bridges, the project will capture how real vehicles interact dynamically with bridges under actual operating conditions. These measurements will be complemented by advanced numerical models of vehicle–bridge interaction that explicitly account for factors such as road surface degradation and bridge transition zones. The figures illustrate the proposed measurement setup and the overall assessment process, from data collection to bridge-specific load evaluation.

The project is carried out as a joint doctoral research initiative between NTNU and Chalmers University of Technology, in close collaboration with the Nowegian and Swedish road authorities (Statens Vegvesen and Trafikverket). Chalmers leads the experimental work and analysis of measurement data, while NTNU focuses on numerical modelling and simulation. The results will be synthesised into practical recommendations and guidelines for more refined load-carrying capacity assessments of existing bridges.

By enabling more accurate and less conservative assessments, the project is expected to show that many bridges can safely carry heavier vehicles than currently permitted. This can significantly reduce the need for bridge replacement or strengthening, lower infrastructure costs, and accelerate the introduction of higher vehicle weight classes on key transport corridors. In turn, this supports a more efficient, competitive and environmentally sustainable road transport system.

The project is an international collaboration with separate funding for each University partner. NTNU's contribution to the project is funded by Statens Vegvesen. The project duration is from April 2025 to end of 2028.

For more information, contact Daniel Cantero.