Decision-Making Problems in Construction Projects Executed under the Principles of Sustainable Development—Bridge Construction Case

Abstract

The high environmental impact of bridge construction causes numerous dilemmas in decision making related to the choice of the best material and technological solutions and their consequences in subsequent phases. These decisions adopt from the management condition the successful investment in this type of project. A bridge construction project includes consecutive stages: design, construction, operation/maintenance, and decommissioning. The latter usually involves the demolition of the infrastructure, generating elements that cannot be reused. This waste-generating linear production process must be urgently replaced by closed-loop production, framed within the Circular Economy (CE) philosophy that provides a practical response to the challenges related to sustainable development goals (SDGs). This document performs an analysis of case studies in an attempt to sort out the management challenges related to the construction, operation and decommissioning of bridges. The research is based on a questionnaire carried out among civil engineering project managers and explores the possibility of adapting the principles of the Circular Economy in bridge construction projects, especially in the context of the traceability of construction materials used for the construction.