Overview of Climate Resilience in Transportation Planning October, 2017 Savannah, GA Jill Stark, FHWA, Office of Planning

New Planning Factor 23 CFR 450.206(a) & 23 CFR 450.306(b) States and MPOs shall consider and implement: Improving the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system and reduce or mitigate stormwater impacts of surface transportation Order 5520  Establish FHWA policy on preparedness and resilience to climate change and extreme weather events Why is the issue of climate change and extreme weather resilience so important to FHWA and our partners? Communities across the United States are experiencing extreme weather events that damage roads and bridges and cost large sums to repair, not to mention the cost to the economy from disrupted travel. Think of Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado, the Missouri River flood, According to NBC News, Texas is ranked with the most natural disasters of any State recording at least on major natural disaster per year. These include floods, drought, tornadoes, ice storms, wildfires, and coastal hurricanes. These extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe and sea levels are rising. FAST Act added that States and MPOs shall consider and implement improving the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system and reduce or mitigate stormwater impacts of surface transportation. Order 5520 came out as a new directive in 2014. The purpose to establish the FHWA policy on preparedness and resilience to climate change and extreme weather events. This directive further serves to implement relevant provisions of title 23 to comply with Executive Order 13653, Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change (EO 13653), dated November 1, 2013, and further the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Policy Statement on Climate Change Adaptation.

Reliability & Resiliency Travel Time Reliability = The consistency or dependability in travel times, as measured from day-to-day and/or across different times of the day. Resilience = The ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from disruptions So what is Reliability and Resiliency? In common terms, reliability is the overall consistency of a measure. Travel time reliability measures the extent of this unexpected delay.  Resiliency is our ability to plan for varying extreme weather events.

Consultation & Plan Development 23 CFR 450.324(f)(7) Recommendation that States and MPOs consult with agencies and officials responsible for natural disaster risk reduction when developing a MTP and TIP 23 CFR 450.316(b) MTP assess capital investment and other strategies that reduce the vulnerability of the existing transportation infrastructure to natural disasters There are 2 additional introductions to the FAST Act concern this reliability and assessment of our infrastructure to natural disasters. Further consultation is required in the long-range and programmatic levels as well.

Resiliency in the Planning Process Metropolitan Transportation Plans Transportation Improvement Programs Public involvement and interagency consultation Risk-based transportation Asset Management Plans Planning and Research Work Programs Annual Unified Planning Work Programs Modal, subarea, and corridor planning Scenario planning Climate resilience included in risk-based asset management requirements (in the NPRM). This includes…

Integrating Climate into the Planning Process Resources: Integrating Climate Change into the Transportation Planning Process Scenario Planning – Cape Cod and New Mexico reports Less development in wildfire risk areas in the preferred scenario. Example: In Albuquerque, New Mexico, FHWA partnered with the MPO on a scenario planning process to assess the impact of growth scenarios on climate resilience and mitigation, along with other community goals. You can see in this Albuquerque, New Mexico example that FHWA partnered with the MPO on a scenario planning process to assess the impact of growth scenarios on climate resilience and mitigation, along with other community goals. The project analyzed how different scenarios performed on development in wildfire risk areas (shown above), development in flood risk areas, water consumption, and emissions levels. During stakeholder workshops, participants discussed policies that would help achieve a preferred scenario for the 2040 metropolitan transportation plan.

Strategies to Reduce Vulnerability Coordinate with agencies in natural disaster risk reduction Assess the vulnerability of transportation assets to types of natural disasters Identify at-risk assets and potential impacts of disasters Evaluate approaches to system management, operations, and maintenance Determine assets to retrofit, rehabilitate, or relocate Analyze appropriate areas to build new facilities Prioritize funding using costs, benefits, risks, and impacts Develop systems for monitoring and reporting Educate and engage decision-makers, partners, and public Here you see a list of strategies to reduce the transportation system’s vulnerability and risk reduction…

In the Works Inter-Governmental Emergency Evacuation Planning Coalition Charter Inventory Policies and Guidance Align Policies and Guidance Toolbox Finally on the HQ side we are starting up a multi-agency initiative to address planning for emergencies. This will include the planning stages, the process during an emergency, and the aftermath. We’ll develop…