Invitation to Istanbul Bridge Conference 2014

The Istanbul Bridge Conference 2014 will be held between August 11 – 13 in Istanbul Hilton Hotel with the aim of providing a discussion platform for the international bridge community to find solutions for many problems and to develop ideas for new forms of bridge design and construction methods.

The recent demands for longer spans and high speed railroad bridges in Turkey attracted the international bridge designers and contractors attention once more as happened in the past around 1970’s and 1980’s.  In the next ten years, four major suspension bridges is planned to be built in Turkey with main span lengths close to 2000 meters.  The Turkish bridge engineering community has recently been very active in terms of new projects and designs other than these suspension bridges.

In the mean time, the international bridge community has been recently faced with many challenges in design and construction of bridges. These challenges in design and construction of the bridges have resulted in numerous advances in bridge technologies such as longer spans, use of new systems and materials, which were once unimaginable.  The bridge design codes have also been calibrated to account for the uncertainties involved in design and construction.

The Istanbul Bridge Conference 2014 will focus on the new developments in bridge design and construction. The main topics will be:

-       Advances in Bridge Construction Techniques

-       Recent Developments in Bridge Design Codes

-       Designing and Constructing Against Extreme Events such as Earthquake and Wind

-       Sustainable Bridge Designs with a Focus on Durability

-       Lessons Learned from Past Failures of Bridges

-       Bridge Computer Technology and Analysis

-       Condition Assessment of Aging Bridges

-       Evaluation of Bridge Bearings, Isolation Systems, Dampers and Expansion Joints

-       Understanding the Construction Stage Analysis

-       Historical Bridges and Restoration

-       Bridge Maintenance and Health Monitoring

During the Istanbul Bridge Conference 2014, the international bridge community will not only find a chance to discuss the technical issues but also will find a chance to socialize during the conference meals and dinners to discuss the future events. The attendance of bridge experts coming from the seven continents will result in formation of a very strong technical program for the bridge and construction engineers and will also provide guidance for the next conferences.

Accuracy of location, ease of travel, wonderful accommodation and all the other issues related to success of this conference have been precisely evaluated.  We hope to have the chance to elaborate a lot of new unforgettable memories at the Istanbul Bridge Conference 2014 in Turkey.

Alp Caner
Istanbul Bridge Conference Chair