Institute of Transportation, MOTC

Owing to extreme climatic events caused by global environmental changes,the frequency and magnitude of natural hazards in Taiwan have increased in recent years, leading to deaths, injuries, and substantial damages to properties.Disruptions to critical infrastructures have impaired the ability to ensure sustainable daily operations and have caused further failures in other systems.Along with resource allocation and pre-evacuation, highway networks profoundly impact disaster response and recovery, particularly emergency disaster logistics and rescues. This study assesses the vulnerability and resilience of highway networks based on socioeconomic and environmental susceptibilities in Taiwan in regard to failures from the perspectives of interdependency. A metropolitan road network and the mountainous highways are employed as empirical cases. Analytical results demonstrate that the level of service on adjacent links, connectivity, and accessibility for emergency medical facilities significantly impact the resilience of metropolitan highway networks.Alishan performs better in highway loading, level of service, and economic exposure; however, the sustainability of Alishan is more vulnerable than that of Sun Moon Lake because of the more serious impact of emission and fewer disaster recovery resources. The proposed method can assist planners in understanding the assessment tools for highway network resilience and help decision makers prioritize their adaptation strategies to improve serviceability of the road network during hazardous conditions.Key Words: Highway network vulnerability; Interdependency;