Europe depend on a well-functioning transport infrastructure. In the EU-project IM-SAFE we identified the political, economic, social, and technical (PEST) barriers against optimal monitoring and maintenance with a special focus on bridges and tunnels.

The analysis show that the most damaging barrier for implementing monitoring is an inadequate funding. Hazards originating from increased loading of the infrastructure caused by the increased traffic volume and traffic loads as well as future climatic conditions are the most severe challenge for the longevity. The impact of aging of the objects might not have been designed for the current and future conditions of use, it is necessary to improve the current practices in monitoring and maintenance of transport infrastructure. The most important enablers of overcoming the barriers are sought in standardization and digitalization.