An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, China
Rockfalls, among the most common natural disasters, pose risks such as traffic congestion, casualties, and substantial property damage. Guizhou Province, with China’s fourth-longest highway network, features mountainous terrain prone to frequent rockfall incidents annually. Consequently, assessing h...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Jinchen Yang Zhiwen Xu Mei Gong Suhua Zhou Minghua Huang |
| author_facet | Jinchen Yang Zhiwen Xu Mei Gong Suhua Zhou Minghua Huang |
| author_sort | Jinchen Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rockfalls, among the most common natural disasters, pose risks such as traffic congestion, casualties, and substantial property damage. Guizhou Province, with China’s fourth-longest highway network, features mountainous terrain prone to frequent rockfall incidents annually. Consequently, assessing highway rockfall risks in Guizhou Province is crucial for safeguarding the lives and travel of residents. This study evaluates highway rockfall risk through three key components: susceptibility, hazard, and vulnerability. Susceptibility was assessed using information content and logistic regression methods, considering factors such as elevation, slope, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), aspect, distance from fault, relief amplitude, lithology, and rock weathering index (RWI). Hazard assessment utilized a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP), focusing on average annual rainfall and daily maximum rainfall. Socioeconomic factors, including GDP, population density, and land use type, were incorporated to gauge vulnerability. Integration of these assessments via a risk matrix yielded comprehensive highway rockfall risk profiles. Results indicate a predominantly high risk across Guizhou Province, with high-risk zones covering 41.19% of the area. Spatially, the western regions exhibit higher risk levels compared to eastern areas. Notably, the Bijie region features over 70% of its highway mileage categorized as high risk or above. Logistic regression identified distance from fault lines as the most negatively correlated factor affecting highway rockfall susceptibility, whereas elevation gradient demonstrated a minimal influence. This research provides valuable insights for decision-makers in formulating highway rockfall prevention and control strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6d988786f0f4b22b04f2c6d45826ff2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e6d988786f0f4b22b04f2c6d45826ff22025-08-20T03:02:48ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011515821210.3390/app15158212An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, ChinaJinchen Yang0Zhiwen Xu1Mei Gong2Suhua Zhou3Minghua Huang4College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaCollege of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaGuizhou Traffic Construction Quality Supervision, Guiyang 550008, ChinaCollege of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaCollege of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaRockfalls, among the most common natural disasters, pose risks such as traffic congestion, casualties, and substantial property damage. Guizhou Province, with China’s fourth-longest highway network, features mountainous terrain prone to frequent rockfall incidents annually. Consequently, assessing highway rockfall risks in Guizhou Province is crucial for safeguarding the lives and travel of residents. This study evaluates highway rockfall risk through three key components: susceptibility, hazard, and vulnerability. Susceptibility was assessed using information content and logistic regression methods, considering factors such as elevation, slope, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), aspect, distance from fault, relief amplitude, lithology, and rock weathering index (RWI). Hazard assessment utilized a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP), focusing on average annual rainfall and daily maximum rainfall. Socioeconomic factors, including GDP, population density, and land use type, were incorporated to gauge vulnerability. Integration of these assessments via a risk matrix yielded comprehensive highway rockfall risk profiles. Results indicate a predominantly high risk across Guizhou Province, with high-risk zones covering 41.19% of the area. Spatially, the western regions exhibit higher risk levels compared to eastern areas. Notably, the Bijie region features over 70% of its highway mileage categorized as high risk or above. Logistic regression identified distance from fault lines as the most negatively correlated factor affecting highway rockfall susceptibility, whereas elevation gradient demonstrated a minimal influence. This research provides valuable insights for decision-makers in formulating highway rockfall prevention and control strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8212highway rockfallrisk assessmentrockfall risk mapGuizhou ProvinceGIS |
| spellingShingle | Jinchen Yang Zhiwen Xu Mei Gong Suhua Zhou Minghua Huang An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, China Applied Sciences highway rockfall risk assessment rockfall risk map Guizhou Province GIS |
| title | An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, China |
| title_full | An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, China |
| title_fullStr | An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, China |
| title_short | An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rockfalls Along Highway Networks in Mountainous Regions: The Case of Guizhou, China |
| title_sort | integrated risk assessment of rockfalls along highway networks in mountainous regions the case of guizhou china |
| topic | highway rockfall risk assessment rockfall risk map Guizhou Province GIS |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8212 |
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