Impact of Extreme Weather in Midwest on Highway Infrastructure Condition and Safety

Extreme weather events such as hurricane, flooding, and overheat are increasing in intensity and frequency under climate change in mid-west region. Extreme precipitation can lead to intensified and/or more frequent inundation, catastrophic or shorter-term losses in the structural integrity of the soil, a higher probability of complete washout of roadways or other hydraulic structures, and higher probabilities of landslides; meanwhile, extreme temperatures in the form of heatwaves can cause the pavement structure to deteriorate at a faster rate. Observations of real roadways during heatwaves also suggest that the heatwaves can result in multiple distresses such as blow-ups, stripping, bleeding, permanent deformations. As designing using historical records for the future may introduce analysis error because of those catastrophic weather events, this study will evaluate impact of the extreme weather events on the structural resilience and the safety of highway infrastructures in the Midwest using numerical simulations based on mechanistical analyses and multiple computational tools. The intended outcomes will include recommendations for refining or modifying current infrastructure design specifications and expansion of current asset management system considering the extreme weather events.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $210000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348307

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Mid-America Transportation Center

  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0851
• Performing Organizations:

  Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla

  Department of Engineering
  202 University Center
  Rolla, MO    65409
• Principal Investigators:

  Liu, Jenny

• Start Date: 20230601
• Expected Completion Date: 20240731
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Climate change; Highway safety; Infrastructure; Resilience (Materials); Structural design; Weather conditions
• Geographic Terms: Midwest United States
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01908383
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Mid-America Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348307
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 19 2024 4:01PM