Risk-informed knowledge-based design for road infrastructure in an extreme environment

Abstract Risk-based design is an essential strategy for enhancing the safety performance of road infrastructure during its operation stage. However, conventional risk-based design generally considers the risk of a single type of disaster, which is insufficient for assessing the multi-hazard risk of the road infrastructure in an extreme environment. In this study, a synthesis method, the risk-informed knowledge-based analytical method (RKAM) for multi-hazard risk assessment, is proposed for the road infrastructure. The RKAM uses risk mapping techniques and the as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) principle. Expert knowledge is utilized in order to overcome the scarcity of historical data. The RKAM is applied to the Tuoba–Qamdo Highway project in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau of China to assess the overall risks of causalities and structural damages caused by traffic accidents, fire accidents, and landslide disasters. The results of this case study show the capabilities of RKAM to generate a synthesis assessment of the expected loss by multi-hazard disasters, which provides valuable information for selecting the most appropriate design of road infrastructure.