2022 journal article
Identifying and prioritizing bridges critical to commerce: A case study of weight-restricted bridges in North Carolina
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRANSPORTATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 11(3), 455–467.
author keywords: Bridge; Prioritization; GIS; Network analysis; Freight; Weight restriction
TL;DR:
This process offers an objective system-wide evaluation of weight-restricted bridges that can be used to inform bridge improvements and replacement projects that fall outside of dedicated funding prioritization processes.
(via Semantic Scholar)
doi.org (publisher)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
(Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 28, 2023
Improving the weight restrictions on weight-restricted bridges can make transportation networks more suitable for economic development; however, revenue shortfalls or institutional policy gaps can impede certain types of bridge improvements. Weight-restricted bridges that are not located on high-traffic-volume routes do not qualify for North Carolina State bridge improvement programs and funding targeted for improving weight restrictions. As a result, bridges that are critical nodes in North Carolina’s commerce freight network may not receive dedicated sources of funding for improvements or replacements that add value and long-term viability to the freight network. This study develops a novel process for identifying and prioritizing weight-restricted bridges critical to commerce freight. Bridge criticality is evaluated from two perspectives using a Geographic Information System (GIS) travel model to predict truck routes. Bridges traversed in the travel model receive scores based on the count of modeled traversals and the cost of modeled detours. Scores are weighted by the trucking intensity of traversals and the distance from traversed bridges to route origins. This process offers an objective system-wide evaluation of weight-restricted bridges that can be used to inform bridge improvements and replacement projects that fall outside of dedicated funding prioritization processes. A targeted validation of final bridge scores based on local stakeholder input should be considered to confirm the modeled criticality scores.