Disaster Recovery for Transportation: China\u2019s Wenchuan Earthquake of 2008 and Japan\u2019s Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011

15905022015Year 24 Final ReportPDFTech ReportHVDR24-12DTRT12-G-UTC01DisastersDisasters and emergency operationsEmergency transportationTransportation planningTransportation system managementRestoration of transportation serviceChinaJapanNew England University Transportation CenterHowitt, Arnold M.Giles, DavidHarvard UniversityNew England University Transportation CenterUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) ProgramUS Transportation CollectionThis project examined issues related to the recovery of transportation infrastructure and services in two countries following catastrophic disasters: the People\u2019s Republic of China, after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan Province, and Japan, in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis. Both disasters severely disrupted surface transportation networks, infrastructure, and services in their respective countries. Given the need both (1) for emergency transportation to bring assistance to survivors and begin the task of reconstruction and (2) for restoration of regular transportation service, the Chinese and Japanese governments gave significant priority to the large task of restoring and re-configuring transportation infrastructure and operations in the disaster-affected regions. This project examined decision-making and implementation of policies to restore transportation in the wake of these two disasters. It gave particular attention to the tension between simply replicating infrastructure/services that previously existed and using the opportunity of the disaster to rethink the nature of the transportation network and operations in order to make choices appropriate for current and future needs in the region. In doing so, the project considered the politics of transportation decision making, including contention over a vision of the region\u2019s future, among different stakeholders and between local and central government policy makers; the economics and budget issues in restoring infrastructure; and the operational and management challenges of transportation recovery.88