A methodology is provided for state departments of transportation (DOTs) to conduct vulnerability assessments of their highway assets. This tool allows state DOTs to assess the vulnerability of their physical assets, such as bridges and tunnels; to develop possible countermeasures to deter, detect, and delay the consequences of terrorist threats; to estimate the capital and operating costs of such countermeasures; and to improve security operational planning. The audience for this methodology is broad--from senior officials involved in the initial planning stage of the process, to midlevel managers charged with developing the assessment plans and procedures, to field personnel. The state DOTs must organize and manage a multidisciplinary team whose members have a working knowledge of the department's mission, its critical assets, and its policies, plans, and procedures. The methodology involves six steps for conducting a vulnerability assessment of highway transportation assets. They provide a straightforward method for examining critical assets and identifying cost-effective countermeasures to guard against terrorism. The criteria used in selecting the preferred approaches include availability, accessibility, transparency, replicability, reasonableness, scalability, robustness, cost-effectiveness, and modularity.
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