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At Risk: Transportation Structures
There are more than 575,000 bridges, 5 million miles of miles of roads and railway track, thousands of ports, and thousands of airports in the United States (USGS 2004). Much of this transportation structure is aging.
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Major factor in disasters
Damage to transportation structures is one of the biggest problems during a natural disaster. When bridges, tunnels, and rail lines fail, help is delayed.
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Critical lifelines
Many communities are connected to other areas by a limited number of bridges and tunnels. Damage to just one bridge can spell disaster for some communities.
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Damaged transportation = long-term disaster
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 Typical time to restore transportation facilities:
- Ports - 2 years
- Highway structures - 20 months
- Rail lines - 6 months
Long-term loss of bridges, tunnels, and highways affects businesses, residents and government activities. Disabled transportation can ruin a community's economic viability.
- difficulty getting supplies
- higher cost of supplies
- increased expense in shipping to market
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What can communities do?
- Identify the critical transportation structures that serve the community.
- Seek state-of-the-art information regarding the structures' vulnerability.
- Provide resources to mitigate, or boost the structures resilience.
- Establish a monitoring systems.
- Provide instant and correct information regarding a structure's status during disasters. Establish alternate routes.
- Plan for quick reconstruction.
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How can CELES help?
- Provide state-of-the-art structural and soil analysis.
- Provide visual and decision-making tools for communities to make informed decisions regarding risk and benefits.
- Develop nondestructive testing and monitoring systems of critical structures that combines with robust wireless communication during emergencies.
- Develop customized processes to improve structural performance during extreme events.
- Provide communities with state-of-the-art transportation analysis for disaster planning.
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