Evaluating the Resilience of Mountainous Sparse Road Networks in High-Risk Geological Disaster Areas: A Case Study in Tibet, China

Featured Application The proposed dynamic resilience assessment framework and two-layer topological model can be directly applied to evaluate and enhance the resilience of transportation networks in geohazard-prone regions. Specifically, the framework provides valuable insights for optimizing emergency response strategies, resource allocation, and infrastructure planning in sparse road networks. These findings are particularly relevant for decision-makers and engineers aiming to mitigate the impacts of geological disasters on transportation systems, ensuring efficient recovery and improved network reliability in remote and vulnerable areas.Abstract Sparse road networks in high-risk geological disaster areas, characterized by long segments, few nodes, and limited alternative routes, face significant vulnerabilities to geological hazards such as landslides, rockfalls, and collapses. These disruptions hinder emergency response and resource delivery, highlighting the need for enhanced resilience strategies. This study develops a dynamic resilience assessment framework using a two-layer topological model to analyze and optimize the resilience of such networks. The model incorporates trunk and local layers to capture dynamic changes during disasters, and it is validated using the road network in Tibet. The findings demonstrate that critical nodes, including tunnels, bridges, and interchanges, play a decisive role in maintaining network performance. Resilience is influenced by disaster type, duration, and traffic capacity, with collapse events showing moderate resilience and debris flows exhibiting rapid recovery but low survivability. Notably, half-width traffic interruptions achieve the highest overall resilience (0.7294), emphasizing the importance of partial traffic restoration. This study concludes that protecting critical nodes, optimizing resource allocation, and implementing adaptive management strategies are essential for mitigating disaster impacts and enhancing recovery. The proposed framework offers a practical tool for decision-makers to improve transportation resilience in high-risk geological disaster areas.