ROUTE SELECTION FOR THE TRANSPORT OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

The factors governing the risk-weighted selection of routes for the transport of hazardous materials are analyzed. Starting from a formulation for the total risk of these transports assuming complete information, approximations for the more realistic case of partial and uncertain information are discussed. These approximations involve well-known risk assessment techniques and mathematical methods; among the latter, Monte Carlo calculations hold the most promise. The actual route selection is based on an index of total societal cost, evaluated for a set of potential routes.