Resilience in Transportation Planning and Decision Making

Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), this project addresses the research question: How does an agency move, in the most efficient manner, to augment its capabilities for planning and decision making to create an increasingly resilient system? The project aims to equip Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) with the resources to develop an enhanced resiliency‐focused culture across Georgia’s transportation system – the organization, its institutions – policies, business processes (i.e., work methods), plans and procedures, and the physical transportation system (including its smart components), supported by decision‐making tools and data. 

In the current era of extreme weather hazards, developing organizational, institutional, and physical (including technological) system resilience will position transportation agencies to save lives, reduce injuries, protect infrastructure and preserve communities in the long term. The November‐December 2019 issue of the Transportation Research (TR) News highlights extreme weather resilience as a critical transportation issue. The 2019 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee Chair acknowledges an urgent need for decision makers at all levels of government and in the private sector to prepare transportation assets, systems, and workforces for extreme weather events. “In particular, decision makers need better information, new tools, innovative best practices, and implementation assistance.” (Arroyo 2019).

The project involves a three‐pronged approach:

  1. Workforce training on the principles and applications of resilience;
  2. Co‐producing with agency staff resilience‐enhancing policies, business processes, plans and procedures; and,
  3. Development, application and implementation of tools and technologies to enhance the resilience of the physical transportation system, including its cyber components, as well as the agency.

Keywords:

Transportation System, Resilience, Adaptation, Planning, Asset Management, TSMO

Research Team:

Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy, Ph.D. (PI), Baabak Ashuri, Ph.D. (Co-PI), Russell Clark, Ph.D. (Co-PI), Brian Woodall, Ph.D. (Investigator), Prerna Singh, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (Ph.D. Candidate | AY 2020-21), Ty Parrillo (Undergraduate Research Assistant | AY 2020-21), Derek Rizzi, (Undergraduate Research Assistant | AY 2020-21), Manuel Cuadra (Undergraduate Research Assistant | AY 2020-21, Graduate Research Assistant | AY 2021-23), Emily Williams (BS/MS Research Assistant | AY 2021-22), Carlos Cedeno (Undergraduate Research Assistant | Spring 2022), Agam Singh (Undergraduate Research Assistant | Spring 2022), Nakeia Jackson (Graduate Research Assistant | Spring 2021 – Spring 2022) | Mandani Tennakoon (Undergraduate Research Assistant | Fall 2021, Graduate Research Assistant | Summer 2022 – Spring 2023), Zhongyu Yang (Fall 2022 – Summer 2023, Graduate Research Assistant)

Contact Information:

Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy, Ph.D.,  adjo.amekudzi@ce.gatech.edu  

Climate Adaptation Guidebook (Example Product):

RP20-12-Climate-Adaptation-Guidebook-for-Transportation-1Download

Technical Report:

Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Ashuri, B., Clark, R., Woodall, B., Singh, P., Morano, K., Cuadra, M., Garrett, A., Tennakoon, M., and Z. Yang. Incorporation Resilience Considerations in Transportation Planning, TSMO and Asset Management. Report for the Georgia Department of Transportation Office of Performance-Based Management & Research. August 2023. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/73032/dot_73032_DS1.pdf

Publications & Presentations:

  1. Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Yang, Z., Singh, P., and A. Garrett. A Performance-Based Approach to Developing Capabilities for Building Resilience to Climate Hazards in Transportation Systems. Smart and Resilient Transportation, June 2024. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRT-12-2023-0017
  2. Cuadra, M., and A. Amekudzi-Kennedy. Infrastructure Planning under Deeply Uncertain Conditions: Application of DMDU Concepts to Bridge Replacement Planning. Accepted for presentation at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, January 7 – 11, 2024, Washington, D.C.
  3. Garrett, A., Patil, P., Orthous Inchauste, M., and A. Amekudzi-Kennedy. Vulnerability Assessments Incorporating Accessibility Considerations to Enhance Transportation System Resilience and Equity. Accepted for presentation at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, January 7 – 11, 2024, Washington, D.C.
  4. Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Yang, Z., Singh, P., and A. Garrett. A Performance-Based Approach to Developing Capabilities for Building Resilience to Climate Hazards in Transportation Systems. Accepted for presentation at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, January 7 – 11, 2024, Washington, D.C.
  5. Garrett, A., Yang, Z., Cuadra, M., Tennakoon, M., and A. Amekudzi-Kennedy. Resilience-Building Toolbox: Multi-Hazards Climate Vulnerability Assessment Tool, Resilience Evaluation Tool for LRTPs, Uncertainty Planning Guide, Resilience-Based Multicriteria Tool for Project Prioritization, and Adaptation Planning Guidebook. Technical Session. Transportation Research Board Resilience Conference, November 13-15, 2023, Washington, D.C., U.S.
  6. Garrett, A., and A. Amekudzi-Kennedy. Project Prioritization and Funding: An Emerging Framework for Incorporating Resilience into Decision Making. Poster. Transportation Research Board Resilience Conference, November 13-15, 2023, Washington, D.C., U.S.
  7. Garrett, A., and A. Amekudzi-Kennedy. Planning and Evaluation Tool to Enhance Resilience Capabilities in Long-Range Transportation Plans: Flexibility and Agility. Poster. Transportation Research Board Resilience Conference, November 13-15, 2023, Washington, D.C., U.S.
  8. Cuadra, M.  Uncertainty Planning: Integrating Deep Uncertainty in Resilience-Building in Transportation Infrastructure. A Thesis presented to the Academic Faculty in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, April 2023. | Thesis Committee: A. Amekudzi-Kennedy, B. Ashuri, R. Clark, V. Marchau, P. Singh, T. Wall, & B. Woodall. https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72066
  9. Garrett, A.  Incorporating Resilience Capabilities into Long-Range Transportation Plans: Flexibility and Agility.  A Thesis presented to the Academic Faculty in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, April 2023. | Thesis Committee: A. Amekudzi-Kennedy, B. Woodall, B. Ashuri, & J. Fischer. https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72024
  10. Tennakoon, M.  Harmonizing Climate Adaptation Planning for Transportation System Resilience: Development of an Adaptation Guidebook for the State of Georgia.  A Thesis presented to the Academic Faculty in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, April 2023. | Thesis Committee: A. Amekudzi-Kennedy, R. Clark & B. Ashuri. https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72016
  11. Singh, P., Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Ashuri, B., Chester, M., Labi, S., and T. Wall.  Developing Adaptive Resilience in Infrastructure Systems: An Approach to Quantify Long-Term Benefits. Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, Vol. 8, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1080/23789689.2022.2126631
  12. Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Singh, P., Williams, E., Cuadra, M., Ashuri, B., Woodall, B., Garrett, A., Tennakoon, M., Clark, R., and A. Dheeraj. Developing Transportation Resilience Adaptively to Climate Change: A Risk-Based, Adaptive and Mitigation-Based Approach. Transportation Research Record.  Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., September 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/036119812311869
  13. Cuadra, M., Garrett, A., Tennakoon, M., Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Woodall, B., Ashuri, B., and P. Singh. Effective Practices in Flood Adaptation by Recognizing System, Organization, and Project Interdependencies. Transportation Research Record. Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., February 2024. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241231960
  14. Singh, P., Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., and H. Kassa.  Performance Dashboard Tool to Visualize Adaptive Resilience Maturity of Transportation Agencies.  Transportation Research Record.  Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., June 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981221092404
  15. Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., and H. Kassa. Planning with Climate Resiliency Lenses at Georgia Department of Transportation. Presentation. 2022 Georgia Institute of Transportation Engineers’ (GAITE) Summer Summit, St. Simon Island, Georgia, July 18, 2022.
  16. Singh, P. Development of Theory and Methodologies to Assess Adaptive Resilience in Infrastructure Systems. A Dissertation presented to The Academic Faculty in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, August 2021. | Dissertation Committee: A. Amekudzi-Kennedy, B. Ashuri, T. Wall, S. Labi, M. Chester & B. Woodall.
  17. Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Singh, P., and H. Kassa. Transportation System Resilience: A Key to Georgia’s Economic Competitiveness. Presentation. 2021 Georgia Transportation Summit, Athens, Georgia, November 16, 2021.