Adaptive Transportation Projects and Design Guidelines
These resources provide examples of physical adaptation projects in the transportation sector as well as other examples related to project design, such as design guidelines that incorporate climate change projections. Many of the examples in this list are provided by case studies developed through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Highway Administration. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by region, state, climate impacts, jurisdictional focus, or transportation lifecycle stage.
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May 2019
In 2019, the City of Virginia Beach updated its Public Works Design Standards Manual (Manual) to account for climate change impacts in drainage system design requirements that help control stormwater runoff. The Manual provides minimum design standards for all City public works projects within City rights-of-way, easements, and City-owned properties (e. g. , roadway, drainage, and traffic signal design standards). Section 8 of the Manual addresses stormwater management, and unlike most of the rest of the Manual, its standards apply to all private projects as well as City construction projects relating to stormwater management.
Related Organizations: City of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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April 2018
In April 2018, New York City released new Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines that apply to all City capital projects, aside from coastal protection projects. The guidelines direct planners, engineers, architects, and others involved in project delivery on how to use regionally-specific future climate projections in the design of City facilities.
Related Organizations: New York City Mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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October 2017
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) green infrastructure solutions for resilience documented in this report are the result of a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored pilot project. ODOT analyzed how green infrastructure can help protect the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101) from the impacts of extreme storms and coastal bluff erosion. Through this study ODOT explored the use of nature-based design solutions to protect coastal transportation infrastructure from these climate enhanced impacts.
Related Organizations: Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Resource Category: Solutions
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2017
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) realigned a 2. 8 mile section of iconic Highway 1 to address current and anticipated impacts from coastal erosion and storm surge. This section of Highway 1, which is north of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse in San Luis Obispo County, was already experiencing increased storm damage from flooding and erosion, with these impacts projected to increase with rising sea levels and higher storm surge caused by climate change. Realigning the highway away from the coast reduces its vulnerability to current damage as well as to future climate impacts and is anticipated to protect the highway from bluff retreat beyond the year 2100.
Related Organizations: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
Resource Category: Solutions
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January 31, 2017
The City of Columbus, Ohio is deploying an electrical vehicle charging network to support alternative modes of transportation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, and reduce waste energy emitted from vehicles that contribute to the city's urban heat islands.
Related Organizations: City of Columbus
Resource Category: Solutions
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January 2017 Update
The Washington State DOT (WSDOT) issued this guidance to assist the agency’s project planners in considering climate change impacts, which is required for all WSDOT projects subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). In addition to obligations under NEPA and SEPA, WSDOT’s 2011-2017 Strategic Plan directs the agency to evaluate future climate-related risks and identify strategies to reduce risk. The guidance provides a standard process for analysis and template language to enable planning-level consideration of Washington’s projected climate impacts.
Related Organizations: Washington State Department of Transportation
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Transportation Engineering Approaches to Climate Resiliency (TEACR) study is designed to help identify best engineering practices for evaluating project-specific vulnerabilities to climate change impacts and extreme weather events, and for developing adaptation solutions to address those vulnerabilities. The study helps to address the challenges that engineers face in translating climate science into project-level design specifications, by developing solutions and methodologies that engineers across the country can apply when planning and designing projects in different project contexts.
Related Organizations: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Resource Category: Solutions
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2016 - 2017
In spring 2016, the Federal Highway Administration launched the "Green Infrastructure Techniques for Coastal Highway Resilience" project to explore innovative ways that transportation agencies can use green infrastructure or nature-based solutions to make highways more resilient to coastal hazards, including storm surges and sea-level rise. Through the program, FHWA funded five pilot projects across different coastal states to evaluate different green infrastructure approaches and develop lessons-learned.
Related Organizations: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Resource Category: Solutions
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Spring 2016
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is reconstructing the Evergreen Point floating bridge, which runs over Lake Washington along State Route 520 (SR 520) near Seattle, to better accommodate varying winds and storms. The new design will be elevated, which will better protect drivers and the road from waves and storms, and the pontoons that allow the bridge to float will be designed to withstand higher winds. In its climate impacts vulnerability assessment, WSDOT has recognized that high winds could increase as a result of climate change and more extreme weather events.
Related Organizations: Washington State Department of Transportation
Resource Category: Solutions
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The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is replacing the Norwalk River Railroad Bridge (Walk Bridge) to address the current structure’s vulnerability to climate hazards such as storm damage and heat. The 118-year old Walk Bridge already experiences frequent and costly service failures, including closure failures due to extreme heat. CTDOT expects that heat-related operational failures will increase as the number of high-heat days increase with climate change. The Walk Bridge is a “swing bridge” spanning the Norwalk River in the Southeast part of the state.
Related Organizations: Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Resource Category: Solutions
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