THE ROLE OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM) IN RISK MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE BRIDGE PROJECTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the evolving role of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in managing multidimensional risks associated with sustainable bridge infrastructure projects. Drawing upon the PRISMA methodology, the study rigorously screened and analyzed a total of 87 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers published between 2010 and 2024. The selected literature was sourced from five leading academic databases—Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, and the ASCE Library—ensuring comprehensive coverage of global research on BIM-based risk management practices. The review focuses on how BIM contributes to the identification, analysis, mitigation, and continuous monitoring of technical, financial, environmental, and operational risks throughout the lifecycle of bridge projects. Findings reveal that BIM’s capabilities extend well beyond 3D visualization, offering robust tools for 4D scheduling, 5D cost estimation, and real-time data integration that collectively enhance proactive decision-making. BIM facilitates early risk detection through clash detection, geospatial analysis, and scenario simulations during the planning and design stages, reducing design inconsistencies and constructability issues. Moreover, the study synthesizes evidence demonstrating how BIM supports cost and schedule risk control by enabling dynamic simulation of construction sequences and integration with live pricing data, resulting in reduced cost overruns and schedule delays. The review also highlights the increasing convergence of BIM with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, digital twins, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), enabling real-time monitoring of structural health, predictive maintenance, and environmental risk modeling in operational phases. Lifecycle-oriented risk governance through BIM emerged as a key theme, particularly in studies focused on sustainability assessments, material optimization, and long-term asset performance. Institutional adoption patterns, regulatory influences, and policy frameworks were also examined, revealing that countries with mandated BIM protocols exhibit more advanced integration of BIM into public infrastructure risk management. Despite persistent challenges such as fragmented data standards, skill gaps, and limited interoperability, the majority of the reviewed literature—accumulating over 3,400 citations—converges on the conclusion that BIM is an essential enabler of risk-informed, sustainable bridge engineering.