Infrastructures (Nov 2021)

Risk Assessment of Terrestrial Transportation Infrastructures Exposed to Extreme Events

  • Unni Eidsvig,
  • Monica Santamaría,
  • Neryvaldo Galvão,
  • Nikola Tanasic,
  • Luca Piciullo,
  • Rade Hajdin,
  • Farrokh Nadim,
  • Hélder S. Sousa,
  • José Matos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures6110163
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 11
p. 163

Abstract

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Keeping transport links open in adverse conditions and being able to restore connections quickly after extreme events are important and demanding tasks for infrastructure owners/operators. This paper is developed within the H2020 project SAFEWAY, whose main goal is to increase the resilience of terrestrial transportation infrastructure. Risk-based approaches are excellent tools to aid in the decision-making process of planning maintenance and implementation of risk mitigation measures with the ultimate goal of reducing risk and increasing resilience. This paper presents a framework for quantitative risk assessment which guides an integrated assessment of the risk components: hazard, exposure, vulnerability and consequences of a malfunctioning transportation infrastructure. The paper guides the identification of failure modes for transportation infrastructure exposed to extreme events (natural and human-made) and provides models for and examples of hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment. Each assessment step must be made in coherence with the other risk components as an integral part of the risk assessment.

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