Quantifying the key factors that create road flooding : research project capsule.

Research project capsule.PDFTech Report11-6GTFloodsRoadsHighway safetyLouisianaLouisiana Transportation Research CenterKent, Joshua D.Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.)Louisiana Transportation Research CenterNTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-Environment ImpactsUS Transportation CollectionRoad fl ooding is a serious operational hazard for low-lying areas of south Louisiana. This isespecially true for emergency evacuation routes, which must be accessible for coastal residentsevacuating ahead of an approaching hurricane or tropical storm.Numerous factors contribute to the hazards of road fl ooding, which include vulnerability and riskrelative to vehicle type, road elevations, tidal ranges, wave action, and storm surge. In order tomitigate hazards associated with fl ooded evacuation routes, the Center for GeoInformatics (C4G)at Louisiana State University (LSU) proposes to develop a decision support tool for determiningthe hazard characteristics of specifi c road segments vulnerable to hurricane fl ooding