Climate Resilience Pilots - This project funds pilots for DOTs, MPOs, and FLMAs to implement a framework to use in conducting vulnerability and risk assessments of infrastructure to the projected impacts of climate change and extreme weather events and to develop adaptation options.
Gulf Coast Study - This research comprises a comprehensive, multi-phase study of climate change impacts in the Central Gulf Coast region. Phase 1 (completed in 2008) examined the impacts of climate change on transportation infrastructure at a regional scale, while Phase 2 (ongoing, with expected completion in 2013) is focusing on a smaller region, enhancing regional decision makers' ability to understand potential impacts on specific critical components of infrastructure and to evaluate adaptation options.
HEC-25 - Highways in the Coastal Environment - The FHWA Office of Infrastructure is developing a second volume of FHWA's existing Hydraulics Engineering Circular 25 (HEC-25), "Highways in the Coastal Environment." This second volume (HEC-25b) will provide technical guidance and methodologies on how to incorporate extreme event and climate change considerations when addressing highway planning and design in the coastal environment. HEC-25b has a national scope, focusing on the different issues associated with Gulf Coast, Atlantic Coast, Great Lakes, West Coast, and Pacific areas of the U.S. transportation system. The FHWA anticipates that there will be multiple uses for this information, including risk and vulnerability assessments, design procedures, and planning activities.
Hurricane Sandy Follow-up and Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Analysis - The objective of this project is to assess the impacts of October 2012's Hurricane Sandy, (and to a lesser extent, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and the Halloween Nor'easter in 2011) on the transportation assets within the greater NY- NJ - CT metropolitan region, assess the vulnerability of those assets to the impacts of extreme weather events and the possible future impacts of climate change, and identify adaptation strategies to increase the resilience of the transportation system.
Transportation, Land Use, and Climate Change Scenario Planning Project - The project will inform transportation and land use decision-making in a selected study area by using scenario planning to analyze strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts. The goals of the project are to 1) advance climate analysis in scenario planning; 2) develop a transferrable process; 3) build partnerships; and 4) impact decision-making. The project will utilize lessons learned from an earlier study that focused on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Other FHWA Related Research
Integration of Federal Lands Management Agency Transportation Data, Planning and Practices with Climate Change Scenarios to Develop a Transportation Management Tool - This project seeks to identify Parks and Refuges having potential to be impacted by climate change; develop best practices; and identify potential strategies appropriate for consideration in addressing such impacts. The project will provide important information and resources for State DOTs and MPOs that would like to integrate climate change considerations into their long-range transportation plans.
