Skip to main content

EU project identifies critical road transport infrastructure

The results of the US3.2 million European Union (EU research project Security of Road Transport Networks (SeRoN) have been published by software and consulting services provider PTV Group and its seven partners. The report presents a methodology which allows planners to identify critical bridges and tunnels and to develop appropriate protection measures. As part of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme, the SeRoN project investigated the security of tunnels and bridges. To this end, the project partners develop
March 21, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The results of the US3.2 million 1816 European Union (EU research project Security of Road Transport Networks (SeRoN) have been published by software and consulting services provider 3264 PTV Group and its seven partners.  The report presents a methodology which allows planners to identify critical bridges and tunnels and to develop appropriate protection measures.

As part of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme, the SeRoN project investigated the security of tunnels and bridges. To this end, the project partners developed a four-step approach: In a first step, the users identify and classify the tunnels and bridges that are relevant for the risk assessment within the selected study area. In step two, the network importance of the previously filtered infrastructure object is determined by means of a transport model (e.g. PTV Validate). Step three assesses the risk on the basis of a quantitative risk analysis (QRA). The risk assessment is based on specific scenarios (e.g. a truck fire in a tunnel) in order to be able to assess the impacts of an incident on the road user, the infrastructure object and the surrounding transport network. In a final step, the cost-effective protection measures are analysed.

"We have developed an innovative methodology for the analysis and assessment of road networks and infrastructure objects as part of the SeRoN project," says project manager Dr Ing. Georg Mayer, PTV Group. "This method provides road network operators and owners with a holistic approach to the identification of critical road infrastructures, thus allowing them to strengthen the security and resilience of their infrastructure."

"A major advantage of the four-step approach is the modular structure of the methodology, which means it can be implemented step by step," says Ingo Kaundinya, head of division, Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt/1938 German Federal Highway Research Institute), which supported the project. "Moreover, the methodology was tested thoroughly by our research institute. For the validation, we had access to a wealth of technical data on roads and infrastructure objects throughout Europe." BASt now wants to introduce this methodology to both road construction authorities and private operators.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Road train project enters final phase
    June 25, 2012
    The Sartre (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project, funded by the European Union, has completed initial test demonstrations of a multiple vehicle platoon. The test fleet included a lead truck followed by three cars driven entirely autonomously at speeds of up to 90 km/h (57mph) – with no more than 6m between the vehicles. The project is being driven by seven European partners and is the only one of its kind to focus on the development of technology that can be implemented on conventional highways in
  • Making enforcement multi-functional
    June 23, 2016
    New enforcement equipment is coming onto the market apace, as Colin Sowman discovers. If there is one word that epitomises the current trend in enforcement technology then that word is consolidation: multi-function cameras, miniaturisation and combining radar and visual detection methods. One example is Turkish company Ekin Technology’s recently introduced Micro Plate is claimed to be the smallest licence plate recognition device. In addition to logging licence plate data, the system records speed, date, ti
  • Pioneering sensors collect weather data from moving vehicles
    January 20, 2012
    ITS International contributing editor David Crawford foresees the vehicle as 'sentinel being'
  • Vulnerable road users face safety problems
    May 18, 2012
    Concern is growing in Europe over the safety standards for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and powered two wheeler riders. A total of 169,000 pedestrians, cyclists and users of powered two-wheeled vehicles (PTW) have been killed on European roads since 2001; 15,300 of them in 2009. The figures have been published in the new Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) report and reveal a decrease in the number of deaths by 34% for pedestrians and cyclists, and just 18% for PTW riders compared to