Quote:
Originally Posted by swimmer_spe
Aren't most bridges designed for "100 year floods"?
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They were, but what used to be a "100-year flood" or "100-year storm" is both more frequent and more severe.
Other factors will also have to be considered: changes in freeze-thaw cycles, increased summer vs. winter temperature extremes, changes in the predominant types of precipitation by season (more or less snow, rain, ice).
Design standards have to be updated to reflect all this, and they'll vary by region of the country. But that just means new infrastructure will be built to withstand expected future weather events, climate norms, and environmental risks. Upgrading the older stuff will either happen when it's due for replacement, or if it's deemed important enough and at a high enough risk that it needs to be done before its useful lifespan is up.
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