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Cowi cuts 240 tonnes of embodied carbon on bridge project
25 June 2025
Cowi, a Denmark-based global consultancy specialising in engeering, archtecture, and environmental services, said it helped avoid 240 tonnes of embodied carbon emissions (CO₂e) on Scotland’s Forth Road Bridge by using real-world data to challenge earlier assumptions about the structure’s wind load demands.
The Forth Bridges near Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Pictured in center is Forth Road Bridge. (Image: Adobe Stock)
Working as an ‘independent checker’ for BEAR Scotland on behalf of Transport Scotland, Cowi used high-resolution wind tunnel testing and GNSS-based monitoring data gathered during eight major storms between 2021 and 2023.
The company said the collected data showed wind-induced forces were lower than previously assumed. Cowi reported that the number of overstressed top lateral members on the bridge was reduced from 184 to eight, meaning more than 120 tonnes of steelwork originally earmarked for strengthening would no longer be required.
The work forms part of the bridge’s Critical Elements Programme (CEP), launched by Transport Scotland after a truss end link failed on the Forth Road crossing in 2015. That failure prompted a full structural review, with early assessments warning of overstresses in key elements and calling for widespread reinforcement of the bridge’s stiffening truss.
As a result of the reassessment, Cowi said it “ensured the bridge’s safety” while avoiding unnecessary construction, which it equated to saving the carbon output of driving a standard car around the Earth 30 times.
“This project exemplifies the future of infrastructure management, where real-time data and intelligent modelling replace unnecessary construction,” said Andy Sloan, managing director, COWI UK & Ireland.
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