Articles | Volume 26, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-5339-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-5339-2026
Research article
 | 
29 Oct 2026
Research article |  | 29 Oct 2026

Indirect costs of floods: a case study of highways road users

Manuel Contreras-Jara, Tomás Echaveguren, Eduardo Allen, Alondra Chamorro, and José Vargas-Baecheler

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Cited articles

Allen, E., Chamorro, A., Poulos, A., Castro, S., de la Llera, J. C., and Echaveguren, T.: Sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification of a seismic risk model for road networks, Comput.-Aided Civ. Inf., 37, 516–530. https://doi.org/10.1111/mice.12748, 2022. 
Alvarez-Garreton, C., Mendoza, P. A., Boisier, J. P., Addor, N., Galleguillos, M., Zambrano-Bigiarini, M., Lara, A., Puelma, C., Cortes, G., Garreaud, R., McPhee, J., and Ayala, A.: The CAMELS-CL dataset: catchment attributes and meteorology for large sample studies – Chile dataset, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5817–5846, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5817-2018, 2018. 
Arrighi, C., Brugioni, M., Castelli, F., Franceschini, S., and Mazzanti, B.: Flood risk assessment in art cities: the exemplary case of Florence (Italy), J. Flood Risk Manag., 11, 5616–5631, https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12226, 2018. 
Arrighi, C., Pregnolato, M., Dawson, R. J., and Castelli, F.: Preparedness against mobility disruption by floods, Sci. Total Environ., 654, 1010–1022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.191, 2019. 
Arseni, M., Rosu, A., Calmuc, M., Calmuc, V. A., Iticescu, C., and Georgescu, L. P.: Development of flood risk and hazard maps for the lower course of the Siret River, Romania, Sustainability, 12, 6588, https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166588, 2020. 
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Short summary
Floods disrupt roads and bridges, causing delays, higher travel costs and expensive repairs. However, user costs from slower traffic and detours are often ignored. This study integrates flood models, bridge vulnerability, and traffic analysis to estimate these costs. Applied to Chile's Aconcagua Bajo watershed, it considers floods of varying frequencies, road and bridge failures, travel times, and fuel expenses, highlighting the hidden economic burden of flood events.
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