Planning road network layout based on connectivity assessment of critical assets

Road infrastructure is necessary for any country to function, on which daily life depends. Novel sources of vulnerability, such as climate change or increased interdependencies among networks due to technological advancements, can lead to road disruptions. Those disruptions may have catastrophic results if there are no alternative routes to serve traffic. State-of-the-art research in improving transport network connectivity and consequently resilience focuses on adopting a network perspective. However, there is no comprehensive, widespread method for evaluating connectivity and proposing alternative routes to enhance it. Presented herein is a framework that, firstly, assesses road network connectivity using a ‘closeness’ measure and, secondly, proposes the development of optimal alternative routes, using a genetic algorithm. The case study examines routes passing by the vulnerable asset of bridges. The results showed a significant improvement of network connectivity and the potential of the method to serve as a basis for updated transport infrastructure planning practices.