Rapid Bridge Replacement under Emergency Situation: Case Study

The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and subsequent potential threats to the United States transportation systems have presented an urgent need to elevate the security of the transportation infrastructure and to develop emergency response plans to quickly react to the possible consequences of an extreme event. Highway bridges, as critical components of the nation’s transportation network, have been brought to closer attention by government agencies. A research project was conducted to identify strategies and technologies to restore the use of a damaged bridge quickly. One of the tasks associated with the research was to perform several case studies of previous bridge replacements following extreme events. These events include explosion and fire caused by vehicle impact, vessel collision with a bridge, and damage caused by flood and earthquake. By studying the cases, the research team seeks to identify and expand on lessons learned and address which actions did and did not work well given the circumstances of the incident. These lessons have great value to the people who need to develop and implement an emergency response plan.