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

  • Øresund bridges the front line for border crossing traffic
    September 15, 2016
    Timothy Compston considers the challenges faced by the operators of the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, the largest structure of its kind across Europe. In light of the concerns about the ongoing security threat and the unprecedented flow of migrants, many of the countries that make up the Schengen Area in Europe have re-introduced border controls. For its part, Sweden has rolled out ID checks for train, bus and ferry passengers from Denmark placing the landmark Øresund Bridge very much on the fr
  • European data security agency focuses on public transportation cyber security
    February 15, 2016
    In the light of the trend towards smart cities, the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) has released a report on smart cities and their intelligent public transportation (IPT) systems. The report, Cyber Security and Resilience of Intelligent Public Transport, focuses on the protection of the assets critical to IPT in the context of smart cities. These assets are considered critical as they contribute to the normal operation of local public transport networks, including metr
  • BlackBerry warns of hacking danger
    May 9, 2022
    As connected vehicles inch towards becoming a common sight, there are concerns that they are ripe for hacking by malign actors. Alan Dron looks at BlackBerry’s 2022 Threat Report
  • Future of tolling: the priorities
    January 14, 2020
    In the final part of his investigation into the future of tolling technology, Josef Czako of Moving Forward Consulting asks what industry figures see as the priorities going forward…