Istanbul Bridge Conference (iBridge-2022)

The Fifth Istanbul Bridge Conference (iBridge-2022) will be in Istanbul on August 22-23, 2022. Bridges connecting two sides of a river, a strait and/or valleys are essential links of a transportation network. Their construction is often challenging for many reasons. Removal of major links results not only in delays or detours but causes lasting economic losses. Similar to the four previous conferences organized in Istanbul, IBridge 2022 is intended to provide a continued discussion platform to develop safe, sustainable and economically feasible solutions to be followed in bridge research, design and construction worldwide. The current engineering challenges faced by the international bridge community will be discussed over special sessions on design approaches, construction technologies, digital developments and maintenance practices. In this scope, modern bridges such as suspension bridges, arch bridges, truss bridges, cable-stayed bridges, box bridges and slab on girders will represent the main focus of the conference. The construction methods such as balanced cantilever, incremental launching, moving scaffolding systems, cast-in-place and cable stayed will be discussed. Innovative methods developed to improve the current bridge management systems with integration of bridge inspection, monitoring and condition assessment are among the principal matters of the conference. Digital developments will be also introduced, such as use of artificial intelligence and image processing and progress made in structural condition assessment.

That such a conference is held in with a name of Istanbul, a metropolis that links two continents separated by a strait, now crossed by three major suspension bridges and two tunnels, is emblematic of the significance of modern transportation requirements for increasingly mobile societies. A fourth suspension bridge over the Canakkale strait, the other outlet from the Sea of Marmara some 200 km to the southwest from Istanbul will be the longest link of its kind when completed in 2022. The masterfully elegant suspension Osman Gazi Bridge at the mouth of Izmit Bay 50 km to the east is among the top ten longest span bridges in the world.

During the Istanbul Bridge Conference 2022, the expected attendance will be uniformly distributed among the design engineers, construction engineers, academics, material supppliers and students as observed in the past conferences with up to 400 participants from 25 different countries. The social events will help reinforce the impact of the conference in the international bridge community. The organizers are again in contact with publishers for a book that will collect selected papers presented at the conference in a convenient reference volume.