Molano Santiago, Alexander

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    Transportation resilience against extreme natural hazards: PR-2 corridor in western Puerto Rico
    (2022-05-19) Molano Santiago, Alexander; Colucci-Ríos, Benjamín; College of Engineering; Pagán-Trinidad, Ismael; Aponte-Bermúdez, Luis D.; Department of Civil Engineering; Parés-Parés, Carmen P.
    This research work studies the increasingly critical need for transportation infrastructure resilience against extreme natural hazards, such as those posed by climate change, extreme weather and extreme geologic events. Consequently, a surface transportation resilience framework was developed and executed. Four objectives were defined to achieve this goal, namely: identification of the latest information on natural hazards and innovative resilient transportation infrastructure options; development of an evaluation methodology to assess transportation infrastructure resilience at the corridor level; the application of the methodology to study sites; and recommending solutions which encompass infrastructure improvements and traffic operations strategies to enhance the resilience of these sites. The selected study sites consist of the floodplains of two rivers located on the western coast of Puerto Rico: the Culebrinas and the Añasco. Both sites are crossed by primary highway PR-2 while having limited options to deviate traffic in case of damage and disruption caused by extreme floods and rain, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides. Major extreme natural events of interest include the 1918 San Fermín Earthquake, Hurricane María in 2017, and the 2020 southwestern Puerto Rico earthquake. Natural hazards and transportation needs were identified through field observations, literature review, contact with transportation agencies, and GIS analysis. The methodology developed to evaluate transportation resilience examines three aspects: transportation characteristics, natural hazards exposure, and infrastructure condition. The first considers transportation attributes of the networks and their available options for detouring. The second considers exposure to five natural hazards: flooding, earthquake ground accelerations, tsunami inundation, rainfall-induced landslide susceptibility, and extreme winds. The third aspect encompasses the physical condition of the two main asset classes: pavements, and bridges and culverts forming part of the National Bridge Inventory. Resilient infrastructure enhancements were developed for PR-2, a coastal detour route, and an inland detour route at each floodplain. Based on the framework and the conducted research, the following infrastructural enhancements are recommended: floodplain-crossing viaducts for PR-2, bridge re-designs for both coastal and inland detours, and formation of two new detour routes at the Añasco River floodplain by connecting existing highway facilities. Operational strategies identified include the adoption of new traffic control devices to warn of hazardous conditions, selective detouring of combination heavy vehicles, and the use of solar-powered portable traffic signals.