Author(s): Natasha Petruccelli; Alessio Domeneghetti; Caterina Malandri; Maria Nadia Postorino; Luca Mantecchini And Armando Brath
Linked Author(s): Alessio Domeneghetti
Keywords: Flood risk linear infrastructures flood impact EU Flood Directive
Abstract: Over the past 20 years, the number of floods has more than doubled compared to the preceding two decades, with a further increase expected due to climate change. The expansion of areas exposed to flood risk, combined with the intensification of urbanization and industrialization processes, leads to progressively severe damage, often requiring protection measures to reduce impacts. For effective risk management and mitigation, assessing the potential consequences is crucial, both to comply the objectives of the Floods Directive 2007/60/EC and to support cost-benefit analyses of the mitigation strategies. For this purpose, we propose a methodology to estimate qualitatively and quantitatively the flood risk for road and railway transport networks, which are among the most vulnerable assets to inundations. Considering that total or partial traffic interruptions in case of floods could compromise the operability of the entire system, resulting in significant socio-economic losses, the procedure aims to enhance the resilience of the infrastructure by identifying the most critical sections, as well as facilitating the organization of rescue interventions during emergency phase. For each road category (i. e., Highways, Main, Secondary, Service, Other) or railway type (High-Speed or conventional), the method assigns a variable risk class (High, Medium, Low, Null), taking into account the structural and functional characteristics of the infrastructure (e. g., type of traction, traffic flows) and the magnitude of the expected event (i. e., hazard). The procedure also distinguishes between elevated (bridges, viaducts) and underground sections (tunnels, underpasses), determining not only the spatial extent of the affected system and expected economic damages, but also the number of flooded railway stations and bridges. Such information is essential for both infrastructure managers, who can optimize the allocation of available resources, and local authorities, responsible for risk management and post-event damage restoration.
Year: 2025