Identifying critical road assets supporting community resilience in natural hazard emergencies

This paper presents a case study of an innovative rapid assessment methodology that was developed to identify and prioritise the critical road assets in the vast road network of the Warrumbungle Shire local government area in New South Wales.

Road networks play a significant role in a community’s capacity for resilience and major investigations into Australian bushfire and flood disasters also confirm the importance of roads and their contribution to community safety and emergency management capability. The case study takes the perspective of roads function and value that support community resilience particularly in times of extreme flood, storm or bushfire. The structure of the methodology facilitates its expansion to include any hazards that may be relevant in an area. This model has transference to other locations where road networks require assessment to assist in emergency management planning and community safety.