Critical infrastructure in mountain areas in the era of climate change

A multifaceted challenge. Risk Management – Business continuity and disaster recovery in the road sector

This paper analyses the role of road infrastructure in mountain areas as multifactorial critical infrastructures, increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change.

Through an integrated approach of Risk Management, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, the authors show how roads are both victims and generators of risk.

The work combines theoretical framework, Swiss normative references and real cases, with particular attention to the collapse of the Visletto bridge in Vallemaggia (2024).

This highlights the importance of adaptive planning, continuous monitoring, and the ability to respond rapidly to extreme events.

The contribution is aimed at technicians, public decision makers and scholars of infrastructure management in complex and vulnerable contexts.