Bridges and pavement suffer damage from heat

Last checked on:
22 March 2024
Published on:
25 March 2024

What can a municipality do if bridges and roads are damaged during a hot period?

Municipality is heat-proof if

  • Movable works of art and fixed paving do not suffer damage/problems during heat.
  • Arrival time and accessibility of emergency services are not hindered by unusable infrastructure during heat.

Measures

  • Spray bridges during hot periods.
  • Use heat - resistant materials and adapt design guidelines accordingly:
  • Change asphalt mixture by incorporating harder bitumen or polymers.
  • Adding white stones to asphalt or concrete paving stones, which reflects more radiation.
  • Create shadow on the road surface.

Tips

  1. In collaboration with road and bridge managers, make an inventory of places where bridges (in Dutch) and paving (in Dutch) are at risk of heat damage
  2. Take emergency measures in those places during hot periods
  3. Design new bridges and roads so that they are less sensitive to expansion or melting
Commissioned by:
  • Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning
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