LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE RAILWAY BRIDGES IN HIMALAYAN REGION A CRITICAL REVIEW

Abstract

This paper explores the imperative of adopting sustainable design approaches in infrastructure development to align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It investigates the application of multi criteria decision making methods in assessing infrastructure sustainability, with a focus on prestressed concrete bridges, pivotal components of modern infrastructure. Through an examination of sustainability impacts and criteria, the study highlights the prevalent use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process and the Simple Additive Weighting method in decision making processes. Despite the regular employment of life cycle assessment, adherence to standardized concepts remains somewhat limited, presenting opportunities for refinement, particularly regarding the handling of linguistic variables. Prestressed concrete bridges are recognized for their numerous advantages, including extended spans and reduced maintenance requirements, yet they pose challenges such as specialized material and skilled labour demands. This paper concentrates on prestressed railway bridges in the Himalayan region, acknowledging the unique challenges presented by this environment and the critical need for sustainable infrastructure solutions in such contexts.