在桥梁工程史上，需求一直是发展的首要驱动力。改革开放以来，在巨大的建设需求驱动下，中国桥梁完成了从“跟随者”向“竞争者”再向“引领者”的转变，在三个主要阶段实现了量和质的飞跃。中国桥梁工程迎来了新的未来。作为中国交通基础设施的重要组成部分，桥梁工程产业在新时期面临着如何支撑新型交通方式建设的挑战。本文基于对存量需求、增量需求和管理需求的基本分析，总结了中国桥梁技术的现状。我们认为，中国桥梁工程产业必须满足三大突出要求——高效建造、有效管养、长效服役。基于信息技术的智能化技术为桥梁工程创新提供了新机遇。因此，桥梁工程的发展路径亟需被改变。本文提出以发展智能化为特征的“第三代桥梁工程”的构想，同时对智能化桥梁的定位、发展重点、发展规划进行了探讨，为中国桥梁工程产业核心竞争力的提升提供了方向。

In the history of bridge engineering, demand has always been the primary driving force for development. Driven by the huge demand for construction since China's reform and opening-up, Chinese bridge has leapt forward both quantitatively and qualitatively in three major stages, by completing the transition from “follower” to “competitor,” and finally to “leader.” A new future is emerging for Chinese bridge engineering. As an important part of China's transportation infrastructure, the bridge engineering industry is facing challenges in this new era on how to support the construction of a new form of transportation. This paper provides a summary of the status of bridge technology in China, based on a basic analysis of stock demand, incremental demand, and management demand. It is our belief that the Chinese bridge engineering industry must fulfill three outstanding requirements: construction efficiency, management effectiveness, and long-term service. Intelligent technology based on information technology provides a new opportunity for innovation in bridge engineering. As a result, the development path of bridge engineering needs to be changed. This paper puts forward the idea of developing a third-generation bridge project that is characterized by intelligence, and discusses this project's implications, development focus, and plan. In this way, this work provides a direction for the improvement of the core competitiveness of China's bridge engineering industry.