Economic evaluation model for post-earthquake bridge repair/rehabilitation: Taiwan case studies

Taiwan, located in a zone of strong seismic activity, is subject to earthquakes that regularly threaten human life, property and transportation facilities. The importance of bridges to Taiwan's transportation grid makes the impact of their destruction or damage during an earthquake significant on people's livelihoods. However, within the overall transportation grid, the relative importance of individual bridges differs, based on the importance of each to society and the economy. Therefore, key to reducing overall economic costs is the ability to determine quickly and efficiently the bridges that deserve priority consideration for immediate repair/rehabilitation following a destructive natural incident. This research developed an Economic Evaluation Model for post-earthquake bridge repair/rehabilitation to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of repair/rehabilitation decision making. The three components of this model include the: (1) emergency repair estimation model, (2) travel cost estimation model, and (3) economic evaluation model. The emergency repair estimation model involves a feasible evaluation of repair/rehabilitation schemes as well as cost and construction duration times, while the travel cost estimation model identifies the shortest detour path and impact on traffic flow using ArcGIS and TransCAD. The Economic Evaluation Model is employed to identity either the repair/rehabilitation scheme offering either the lowest cost or shortest duration.