Seismic vulnerability assessment of bridges. The case of the Oran region, Algeria

Abstract

The recent devastating earthquakes have revealed that bridges are one of the most vulnerable components of transportation systems. These seismic events highlighted the need to mitigate the risk resulting from the failure of bridges. This study aims to consider the seismic risk of an extensive heritage of existing civil engineering structures proceeding with prioritization. This imposes the need to consider the design of a geographic information system (GIS) based on the analysis of the different components of risk: hazard, vulnerability, and risk. The assessment of the seismic vulnerability of bridges integrates the various structural and non-structural components of bridges, taking into account their specificities in Algeria. The application of this approach to the Oran region has resulted in the development of a tool using a database to process as much geolocated information as possible, thus contributing to more efficient crisis management, and making it possible to avoid bridge damage and failures that can result in loss of life and monetary losses. This tool could also be used for the inspection of bridges as well as the optimal prioritization of preventive and corrective measures necessary before a major earthquake hits the bridge network in the Oran Region.