Planning post-disaster reconstruction efforts of damaged transportation networks

Abstract

Planning, Reconstruction Efforts, Transportation, Network Analysis. Planning the reconstruction efforts of damaged transportation networks in the aftermath of natural disasters is a challenging task due to the limited availability of construction resources. The utilization of these limited resources can have a significant impact on the societal needs of minimizing the reconstruction costs and the performance loss of the damaged transportation network. These resources therefore need to be deployed and utilized in an effective and efficient manner that accomplishes these two critical objectives. This paper presents the development of a planning model for post-disaster reconstruction efforts for damaged transportation networks. The model is developed in four stages: (1) allocating the available reconstruction resources to competing recovery projects; (2) estimating the reconstruction costs; (3) measuring the performance loss during the recovery period; and (4) optimizing the reconstruction efforts to minimize reconstruction costs and performance loss. An application example is analyzed to illustrate the use of the model and demonstrate its capabilities in planning post-disaster reconstructionefforts.