Resilience of Regional Transportation Networks Subjected to Hazard-Induced Bridge Damages

Abstract

The comprehension of network-level consequences resulting from disruptive events is a main gray area in the evaluation of transportation network resilience at the regional level. Explaining hazard impacts on regional network infrastructures and identifying significantly affected areas are important for communicating the need for building resilient infrastructure. This paper presents a framework for assessing the regional network resilience by leveraging scenario-based traffic modeling and GIS techniques. High-impact-zone location identification metrics were developed and implemented in preliminarily identifying areas affected by bridge closures. Resilience was estimated, and an index developed by utilizing practical functionality metrics based on vehicle distance and hours traveled. These are illustrated for the Tampa Bay, Florida, area. Findings for 10 bridge closure scenarios and recovery schemas indicated significant regional resilience losses. The I-275 bridge closure indicated the highest functional loss to the regional network: the aggregated resilience index below 0.5 reflects severe network performance deficit and mobility limitations.