Post-disaster reconstruction of transportation infrastructures: Lessons learned

The effectiveness of social and economic recovery of a society damaged by major disasters is significantly interrelated with pace of reconstruction of transportation infrastructures. If not managed delicately, post-disaster reconstruction of transportation infrastructures often encounters barriers that result in unexpected delays. An understanding of the impacts of barriers and adoption of mitigating strategies are required to successfully mitigate the adverse consequences of these barriers. In this study, (1) barriers to timely reconstruction of transportation infrastructures after natural disasters were identified; (2) strategies for alleviating the adverse impacts of each barrier were developed, and (3) preventive and corrective strategies were developed. A thorough literature review was performed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with subject matter experts (SMEs) to identify the barriers. A total of 14 potential barriers were identified and validated, and 26 mitigating strategies were developed and classified into categories of governance and planning, resource allocation and management, coordination and cooperation, and awareness enhancement. The strategies were then classified into preventive and corrective groups, based on their time of implementation. The results of the interviews showed that the SMEs considered resource allocation and management as the most important category. In addition, they indicated that resource management plays a key role in achieving effective reconstruction of transportation infrastructures. This research offers a foundation for further advancing studies on post-disaster reconstruction of transportation infrastructures. In addition, timely implementation of identified strategies will enhance effectiveness of reconstruction of disaster-affected areas.