In recent years, interest in BIM and GIS applications in civil engineering has been growing. For bridge engineering, BIM/GIS applications such as simulation, visualization, and secondary development have been used to assist practitioners in managing bridge construction and decision-making, including selection of bridge location maintenance decisions. In situ 3D modelling of existing bridges with detailed images from UAV camera has allowed engineers to conduct remote condition assessments of bridges and decide on required maintenance actions. Several studies have investigated the applications of BIM/GIS technology on bridge projects. However, there has been limited focus on reviewing the outcomes of these studies to identify the limitations of BIM and GIS applications on bridge projects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the research on BIM/GIS technology applications in bridge projects over the last decade. Using a systematic review process, a total of 90 publications that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed in this study. The review identified the state-of-the-art methods of BIM and GIS applications, respectively, at the planning and design, construction, and operation and maintenance phases of bridge projects. However, the findings point to segregated application of BIM and GIS at all phases of bridge projects. The findings of this study will contribute to guiding practitioners in selecting appropriate BIM and GIS technologies for different aspects of bridge projects.

The deflections of retaining structures during deep excavation should be controlled below a predefined threshold in an attempt to mitigate the deformation-posed damage to the surrounding buildings and infrastructure facilities. In this paper, a new approach is presented to conducting deformation reliability assessments of retaining structures. The method is based on an extension of the classical first-passage reliability problem and is applied on the spatial scale of the retaining structures. With the proposed method, the in situ monitoring data and the associated measurement error can be easily incorporated, which accordingly improves the assessment accuracy. Moreover, the proposed method has a closed-form solution, which is beneficial for the computation efficiency and its practical application. The method was applied to assess the retaining structure reliability in a foundation excavation of a subway station in Fuzhou, China. The accuracy of the analytical results was verified through a comparison with those of Monte Carlo simulation. It was shown that the proposed method can represent well, the deformation-based safety level of retaining structures.

It is well known that there are multiple sliding surfaces behind inverted T-type retaining walls and that reflective sliding surfaces may develop in narrow backfill. Combined with numerical analysis, this paper establishes a mathematical model for the stress rotation trajectory considering multiple sliding surfaces. This paper proposes a theoretical solution for the active earth pressure in narrow backfill on inverted T-type retaining walls under translation mode using the horizontal layer differentiation method. The theoretical solution accurately considers the redistribution of stresses and is suitable for complex working conditions and various soil properties. Parametric analysis reveals the effects of backfill geometries, soil properties, and soil–wall interface friction angles on earth pressure. A quantitative equation was presented for the critical condition of narrow and semi-infinite backfills.

Elastic cables have the advantages of desirable seismic mitigation effect, low cost, and convenient installation, and have been used widely in low-to-mid-span bridges. However, their utilization in long-span cable-stayed bridges has been limited. To study the effect of elastic cable on the seismic response mitigation of long-span cable-stayed bridges, an experimental model (half-bridge model) with a geometric similarity ratio of $1:40$ was established. Both the semifloating system and the elastic restraint system were considered, and the seismic responses of the two systems under earthquake excitation were tested on the shaking table. The results demonstrated the seismic mitigation effect of the elastic restraint system, which is dependent on the characteristics of the seismic wave. The mechanism of the seismic response mitigation of the long-span cable-stayed bridge with longitudinal elastic restraint was discussed.