ABSTRACT
In essence, the problem lies in the nature of civil structural engineering design and disproportionately low level and certainty of information on which it is based relative to the huge importance of such structures. Because of this, in civil engineering the acceptable level of risk of structural failure or lack of its serviceability is at least an order of magnitude lower than for more technologically advanced structures employed in mechanical and aerospace engineering.There are three key reasons for this low risk approach:
1. Civil infrastructure, in particular major long-span bridges, underpin human society and supports not only traffic but the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of people and economies of linked regions.
