A top-down approach for a multi-scale identification of risk areas in infrastructures: particularization in a case study on road safety

Abstract

Introduction: Transport infrastructures have an important function in society and the development of a country. In Spain, the most used modes of traveler transport are road and rail, far ahead of other means of transport such as air or maritime transport. Both rail and road infrastructures can be affected by numerous hazards, endangering their performance and the safety of users. This study proposes a methodology with a multiscale top-down approach to identify the areas affected by fire, landslide, and safety in road and rail infrastructures in Galicia (Northwest Spain). Methodology: The methodology is developed in three steps, coinciding with the three scales considered in this work: network-, system-, and object-level. In the first step, risk areas are identified and prioritized, resulting in the most critical safety risk in a motorway section. This area defines a study scenario composed of a location (A-55 motorway) and the associated risk (road safety). In the second step, the road safety factors within this scenario are selected, hierarchized, and weighted using a combination of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods including the Analytical Hierarchy Process and the Best–Worst Method. Finally, a risk map is generated based on the weighting of infrastructure-related safety factors and compared to real historical accident data for validation. The methodology is based on road and risk assessment standards and only information in the public domain is used. Results: Results show that only 3 segments out of 153 were classified incorrectly, which supports a probability higher than 95% of agreement with real data (at 5% significance level). In a conclusion, the overall methodology exhibits a high potential for hazard prevention and road-safety enhancement.