Vulnerability of Hydraulic Constructions in Flood-Prone Agricultural Areas

The conditions of high hydraulic risk are mainly due to the interference between the river network and bridges, their relative access ramps and road embankments located in the floodplain. Actually, bridges are not always structurally adequate to withstand severe flood waves. In flood restoration works, there is an objective difficulty in implementing the structural safety of bridges because of historical, artistic and economic issues. Thus, the risk mitigation strategy often accounts for the assessment of the vulnerability degree of each bridge/road embankment according to an evaluation scale. Here we present a methodology regarding the classification of the vulnerability degree and its application to 84 works located in the alluvial area of the Tiber River, in the area of the Province of Perugia. For the purposes of a synthetic classification of works vulnerability, the individual assessed parameters are compared by means of subsequent contingency tables in order to compute the resulting vulnerability degree.

Automated summary

The study highlights that high hydraulic risk is mainly attributed to the interference between river networks and bridges, which may not always be structurally adequate to withstand severe floods. In order to mitigate risks, it is essential to assess the vulnerability degree of each bridge/road embankment and compute the resulting vulnerability degree.