The 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons have proved to be critical turning points in society’s view of such destructive storms. Bridges are not exempt from such destruction. The economic impacts of damage to bridges can be dramatic since bridges are the keystone of mobility and accessibility. Looking at the events of past years provides a great deal of information to help plan for future events.
This model is based on the most widely and easily available information, the National Bridge Inventory. With the use of Geographic Information Systems, it has been developed in hopes of helping prioritize funding for repair and replacement of bridges that are structurally unprepared for such events as well as improving emergency response after an event.
This model and the analysis that follows also provides considerable insights on economic impacts which are based on both total risk due to scour and wind (two common elements of storm damage) as well as total economic costs of rebuilding and traffic detouring. The analysis of the output of the model illustrates the important role average daily traffic and detour length play in economic impacts. The analysis also demonstrates that these impacts, or liabilities, closely follow a lognormal distribution.
