Approach for measuring transportation network resiliency: A case study on Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

A transport network is crucial for the prosperity and growth of communities. When a road network is interrupted, communities experience many difficulties. Therefore, policymakers are working relentlessly to ensure the uninterrupted functionality of the transport network. Recently, the focus of transport infrastructure management has shifted from protection to resilience. The concept of resilience is intended to capture a system’s ability to maintain its function and rapidity to return to a normal state after a major disruption. This article introduces a novel approach for measuring the resiliency of the transportation network incorporating the travel pattern. This approach allows decision makers to assess the effectiveness of recovery strategies by comparing with the proposed resilience index. Here, the analogy of energy transmission is utilized to describe the concept of resilience. The approach is demonstrated for Dhaka, Bangladesh based on a simulated disaster. The case study focuses on the potential disruptions of some links of the network. We investigate the changes in the shortest route after the disruption of the transport network. The results indicate that a decision maker first rebuilds a connected network and then focuses on improving the functionality.