The sustainability of bridge infrastructure is becoming increasingly important due to rising environmental, economic, and social demands. However, most current assessment models remain fragmented, often overlooking the social pillar, underutilizing risk integration across the lifecycle, and failing to fully leverage digital tools such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA), resulting in incomplete sustainability evaluations. This study addresses these limitations by introducing a practical and adaptable model that integrates BIM, LCSA, and expert-driven risk prioritization. Five Hungarian bridge projects were modeled using Tekla Structures and analyzed in OpenLCA to quantify environmental, economic, and social performance. A custom Sustainability Level Change (SLC) algorithm was developed to compare baseline scenarios (equal weighting) with risk-informed alternatives, simulating the impact of targeted improvements. The results demonstrated that prioritizing high-risk sustainability indicators leads to measurable lifecycle gains, typically achieving SLC improvements between +2% and +6%. In critical cases, targeted enhancement scenarios, applying 5% and 10% improvements to top-ranked, high-risk indicators, pushed gains up to +12%. Even underperforming bridges exhibited performance enhancements when targeted actions were applied. The proposed framework is robust, standards-aligned, and methodologically adaptable to various bridge types and lifecycle phases through its data-driven architecture. It empowers infrastructure stakeholders to make more informed, risk-aware, and data-driven sustainability decisions, advancing best practices in bridge planning and evaluation. Compared to earlier tools that overlook risk dynamics and offer limited lifecycle coverage, this framework provides a more comprehensive, actionable, and multi-dimensional approach.

In Europe, bitumen classification has traditionally relied on empirical tests, namely penetration and the Ring and Ball softening point, originally developed for unmodified binders and considered insufficient for modern modified binders. As an alternative, a rheology-based method, the Bitumen Typisierungs Schnell Verfahren (BTSV) rapid bitumen categorization method, has been developed in Germany to characterize high service temperature performance, with performance requirements introduced in 2025 in the German specifications. In this study, the performance of five bitumen types commonly used in Hungarian road construction was investigated using the BTSV method. During testing, the softening temperature corresponding to a rheological threshold value of G* = 15.0 kPa (T_BTSV) and the phase angle (δ_BTSV) were determined. T_BTSV is defined as the temperature corresponding to G* = 15 kPa, representing the softening state, while δ_BTSV reflects the viscoelastic balance between elastic and viscous behaviour. The objective of this study is to evaluate the high-temperature performance of commonly used Hungarian bituminous binders using the BTSV method and to compare the results with traditional empirical parameters and German classification systems. A total of 137 binder samples from production control were tested and analysed, including paving-grade, SBS-modified, and chemically stabilized rubber-modified binders. Statistical evaluation included mean values and 95% confidence intervals. For rubber-modified bitumens, the recoverable, insoluble rubber content was determined using the Soxhlet extraction method. Based on the results, it can be concluded that with increasing rubber content, the T_BTSV value shows an increasing trend, while the δ_BTSV value decreases. As discussed in the paper, a strong linear relationship was observed between the investigated parameters in the T_BTSV–δ_BTSV diagram, with a coefficient of determination of R² = 0.99.

In Europe, bitumen classification has traditionally relied on empirical tests, namely penetration and the Ring‐and‐Ball softening point, originally developed for unmodified binders and insufficient for modern modified materials. As an alternative, a rheology‐based method, the Bitumen Typisierungs Schnell Verfahren (BTSV), has been developed in Germany to characterize high service temperature performance, with performance requirements introduced in 2025. In this study, the performance of five bitumen types commonly used in Hungarian road construction was investigated using the BTSV method. During testing, the softening temperature corresponding to the rheological threshold value of G* = 15.0 kPa (TBTSV) and the phase angle (δBTSV) were determined. The results are compared with each other, with softening point values determined by the standardized Ring‐and‐Ball method, and with German bitumen classification systems. A total of 137 samples from production control were analyzed, including paving grade, SBS‐modified, and chemically stabilized rubber‐modified binders. Statistical evaluation included mean values and 95% confidence intervals. For rubber‐modified bitumens, the recoverable, insoluble rubber content was deter‐mined using Soxhlet extraction. Based on the results, it can be concluded that with increasing rubber content, the TBTSV value shows an increasing trend, while the δBTSV value decreases. A strong linear relationship was observed between the investigated parameters in the TBTSV–δBTSV diagram, with a coefficient of determination of R² = 0.99.

The precise determination of the rheological properties of road bitumen types is essen-tial for the reliable prediction of long-term pavement behaviour. The aim of this study is to compare different viscosity determination methods – approximations, capillary vis-cosity, Brookfield measurement, and complex viscosity determined by dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) – and to analyse their relationships with each other. Furthermore, the European and Australian bitumen classification standards are compared in terms of dynamic viscosity and penetration, according to which Australian bitumen types show more stable results. The statistical evaluation of the results obtained with the different methods was based on Pearson correlation analysis and relative deviation analysis. The results obtained show that the DSR measurements at 1.6 Hz are most closely related to capillary viscosity and best correlated with the other measurements, while the Heuke-lom equation relationship overestimates the dynamic viscosity. The Brookfield method provided higher viscosities for all tests. The study highlights that the results of different measurement methods can only be compared under shear conditions, and that the DSR-based approach can be more suitable for the introduction of a new European bi-tumen classification.

The accurate determination of the rheological properties of road bitumen types is essential for the reliable prediction of long-term pavement behaviour. At 60 °C, dynamic viscosity is a key rheological parameter characterising the shear-dependent viscoelastic behaviour of bitumen in the temperature range relevant to in-service pavement loading. This study aims to compare different viscosity determination methods—approximations, capillary viscosity, Brookfield measurement and complex viscosity determined by a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR)—and to analyse their relationships with each other in order to find the best method for bitumen classification. Furthermore, the European and Australian bitumen classification standards are compared in terms of dynamic viscosity and penetration, according to which Australian bitumen types show more stable results, as the CV% is less than 10 percent. The study is based on the testing of Hungarian paving-grade bitumens (B50/70, B70/100) and Australian viscosity-graded bitumens (C170, C320), with the comparison of a total of 191 samples obtained from industrial production. The statistical evaluation of the results obtained with the different methods was based on Pearson correlation analysis and relative deviation analysis. The results indicate that the DSR measurement at 1.6 Hz shows the closest agreement with capillary viscosity, with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.95, and exhibits the strongest overall correlation with the other measurement approaches, whereas the Heukelom equation tends to overestimate the dynamic viscosity. The Brookfield method yielded higher viscosity values in all tests. The study highlights that the results of different measurement methods can only be compared under specific shear conditions, and a DSR-based approach can be more suitable for the introduction of a new European bitumen classification system.