BACKGROUND: Extreme events resulting from natural or other disasters, such as fire, flood, earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes, can cause damage to bridge structures that impacts the safety of motorists and the public.  There is a need to employ procedures for response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration of service of these structures that will maintain safety; some state departments of transportation (state DOTs) have adopted such processes.  However, these processes may not always address the full range of needs for personnel, communication, coordination, data collection, assessment levels, and other factors associated with the different types and extents of these events.  Research is needed to identify or develop rational procedures for response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration of service of bridge structures in extreme events and prepare related guidelines for consideration and adoption by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).   Such guidelines would help state DOTs as well as other transportation agencies deal more effectively with the damage to bridge structures in extreme events and provide a safer condition for the public. 

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop guidelines for response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration of service of bridges in extreme events.

Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks.

PHASE I: (1) Collect and review relevant domestic and foreign literature, research findings, and information relative to the response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration of service of bridges and culverts in extreme events. This information may be obtained from published and unpublished reports, surveys of state DOTs, and contacts with the transportation agencies and other public and private organizations involved in emergency situations affecting highway structures.  This review may also consider the practices employed for non-highway structure emergency situations that appear relevant to the project objective.  Also, identify available response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration procedures and guidance, and present case studies of actual events. (2) Evaluate the response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration of service procedures identified in Task 1. Identify their weaknesses and strengths as well as the gaps requiring consideration in this research, and recommend modified procedures for further consideration/investigation in Phase II.  The evaluation shall consider all relevant factors, such as personnel requirements and qualifications, communications, data collection, levels of damage assessment, and effectiveness of the approaches for restoring service. (3) Based on the evaluations performed in Task 2, prepare an updated, detailed work plan for Phase II that includes an approach for developing recommended response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration of service procedures and preparing related guidelines.  he guidelines shall include a tool to facilitate use of the recommended procedures. The work plan shall include a proposed outline of the guidelines. (4) Prepare an interim report that documents the research performed in Tasks 1 through 3. Following review of the interim report by the NCHRP, the research team will be required to make a presentation to the project panel. Work on Phase II of the project will not begin until the interim report is approved and the Phase II work plan is authorized by the NCHRP. The decision on proceeding with Phase II will be based on the contractor’s documented justification of the updated work plan.

PHASE II: (5) Execute the Phase II plan approved in Task 4 and develop recommended response planning, assessment, and rapid restoration of service procedures. Prepare and submit a technical memorandum summarizing the features of the recommended procedures together with an updated outline of the proposed guidelines and a description of the proposed tool for NCHRP review and approval before proceeding with Task 6. (6) Prepare the guidelines. The guidelines shall be prepared for consideration and adoption by AASHTO. (7) Prepare a final deliverable that documents the entire research effort.  The recommended guidelines shall be prepared as a stand-alone document.

Status: Work in progress.