Evaluating critical gas pipeline crossings for freight truck routes

Abstract

This research demonstrates a methodology to identify critical pipeline crossing locations that could have a severe impact on truck tonnage movement and detouring. A ‘critical’ underground pipeline crossing impacting a road link has been defined as the most important crossing in the network whose damage can cause the road above to close. This causes significant impacts on truck tonnage movement and detour increase for trucks. In this research, criticality of a crossing was tested using two indices namely, the Dangerousness Index (DI) and Detour Index (DTI). Pareto frontier was subsequently used to identify critical pipeline crossing in the Los Angeles (LA) County. There were 74 candidate crossings which were part of the analysis. It was observed that underground pipeline crossings that are located at Interstate-405, Interstate-110 and State Highway-91 are highly critical compared to others in the county. These three highways are also considered as major truck routes of the LA County. The research contribution primarily is in understanding risks associated with underground pipelines, particularly those that cross a major highway with heavy freight truck volume.