Evaluating Freight Transportation Resilience on a Highway Corridor

Various transportation systems face unplanned emergencies, disruptions and disasters including corridors that carry high volumes of freight and passenger travel. On February 6, 2008, more than a thousand vehicles were stranded in a severe winter storm on a 17-mile segment of highway I-90 in Wisconsin. Such disruptions affect the overall economy by constraining the free and efficient flow of commodities, while also having a significant impact on travelers. This paper presents an analysis method that uses readily available data to economic importance, vulnerability, and operational resilience for identify high-risk highway segments where investments or countermeasures may be required to assure operational resilience for freight transportation. This paper illustrates the method by identifying the top 10 high-risk (low operational resilient) segments along the I-90/94 Interstate Highway Corridor from Hudson to Beloit Wisconsin. Analysis of economic importance considers commodity flows, traffic volumes, and level of service along the corridor segments. The method uses failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to assess the risk of the bridges, culverts, and road segment infrastructure components based on their vulnerabilities to disruptions. Finally, using GIS network analysis the method finds alternative paths and operational resilience is evaluated using by considering the operational impacts on service level, travel distance, and travel times. The risk ratings along with evaluation metrics and alternate route analysis are used to determine an overall resilience rating for each corridor segment.