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The significance of critical infrastructure systems in maintaining productivity is undeniable. However, such systems remain susceptible to external disturbances and cascading failures. Instead of operating independently, these physical systems, such as transportation and stormwater systems, form an interdependent system. This interdependence, particularly important during flooding, illustrates that the failure of a stormwater system can disrupt traffic networks. To explore the extent of such interdependency, this study investigates the transportation and stormwater networks in Norman, Oklahoma. Using network science theories and concepts of multilayered networks, this paper analyzes these systems, both individually and in combination. The study identifies closely located components in the road and stormwater networks using Moran's I spatial autocorrelation metric. Next, the connectivity of these networks is represented in a graph format to investigate the topological credentials (i.e., rank of relative importance) of the network components (i.e., water inlets, road intersections as nodes, and stormwater conduits, road segments as links). Moreover, such credentials further change by considering the weights of the network components (i.e., average daily traffic, water flow). The proximity-based connectivity considerations between these networks utilizing Moran's I significance score revealed a good indicator of spatial interdependency. When incorporating directionality, the multilayer network analysis highlights that highly central components tend to cluster spatially, unlike the undirected counterpart. The study also identifies vulnerable locations and network components in a combined network setting that differ from the networks in isolation. In doing so, the research reveals new insights governing the complex reliance of transportation systems on neighboring stormwater systems.
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Modest flooding can trigger catastrophic road network collapse due to compound failure
Abstract Compound failures occur when urban flooding coincides with traffic congestion, and their impact on network connectivity is poorly understood. Firstly, either three-dimensional road networks or the traffic on the roads has been considered, but not both. Secondly, we lack network science frameworks to consider compound failures in infrastructure networks. Here we present a network-theory-based framework that bridges this gap by considering compound structural, functional, and topological failures. We analyze high-resolution traffic data using network percolation theory to study the response of the transportation network in Harris County, Texas, US to Hurricane Harvey in 2017. We find that 2.2% of flood-induced compound failure may lead to a reduction in the size of the largest cluster where network connectivity exists, the giant component, 17.7%. We conclude that indirect effects, such as changes in traffic patterns, must be accounted for when assessing the impacts of flooding on transportation network connectivity and functioning.
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- PAR ID:
- 10363169
- Publisher / Repository:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Volume:
- 3
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2662-4435
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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