Climate Change: What It Means for Transportation Infrastructure

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1 Climate Change: What It Means for Transportation Infrastructure Tropical Storm Irene Great Flood of 2010 Michael P. Lewis RIDOT Director AASHTO President Hurricane Sandy

2 The Issues for Rhode Island Sea level rise Magnitude remains open to debate, but fact that issue is real is now an indisputable reality Increase in hurricane intensity Increase in the number of intense precipitation events Increase in water temperature Increase in air temperature Bear in mind: the issues are region specific

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4 The Effects Permanent & temporary inundation of existing infrastructure (roads, bridges & railroads) Damage & destruction (erosions, washed out culverts & bridges, etc.) Drainage challenges Current system is designed and built for local weather and climate conditions Predicated on historical temperature and precipitation data Existing system may prove to possess inadequate capacity Increased maintenance

5 Coastal Zone Inundation Map Example <VALUE> Mean Higher High Water MHHW plus 1ft Sea Level Rise MHHW plus 3ft SLR MHHW plus 1ft SLR and 3ft Storm Surge MHHW plus 5ft SLR Hurricane of 1938 Surge Height Succotash Road Galilee Escape Road

6 Examples of the effect on transportation infrastructure

7 Planning Needs Reassess land use planning policies Develop risk/economic impact based strategic plan Continual reassessment of emergency response & evacuation plans Ensure good data is available: LIDAR (Light Imaging Detection & Ranging) contour mapping for the entire state Flood impact models (river & coastal) Point specific hydrographs of rivers/steams at critical locations Modify engineering design & permitting standards Identify sources of funding to address needs

8 Example: Great Flood of 2010 Record rain and flood waters 5 mile portion of I-95 closed On March 31, roads and 20 bridges closed 309 total repair locations Total Cost = $26 million

9 Preparation Options Do nothing Abandon in-place Reconstruct existing Reconstruct and retrofit Drainage system capacity improvements, etc. Major additions or adjustments Increase bridge height & width, etc. Relocation: construct entirely new infrastructure in less vulnerable areas Galilee Escape Road

10 Adaptation Approach Adaptation will be a process, not an event We need to tie our climate action plan together with the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Current LRTP is Transportation 2030 prepared in 2008 Anticipate next cycle will have a close tie between adaptation and the LRT spending plan Must also tie adaptive strategy investments to the TIP, shorter term planning document

11 Example 1 of Current Strategy Central Bridge in Barrington will be rebuilt with features to increase its resilience to sea level rise Originally constructed in must be replaced due to deteriorated condition Proposed bridge clearance will be approximately 8.5 feet at MHW 2 feet of clearance added Other elements include reducing stormwater runoff; and armoring the bridge causeways to protect them from erosion and scour

12 Example 2 of Current Strategy Route 138 from Route 2 to Route 108 in South Kingstown is being designed with features to prevent flooding due to increased rainfall events Replace existing storm drain system based on the updated rainfall totals provided by the Northeast Regional Climate Center Infiltrate stormwater runoff from approximately 16.6 acres of existing impervious roadway surface

13 RI Climate Change Commission Tie together different agencies and branches of government to address adaptation RIDOA/RIDOT/CRMC LIDAR Mapping RIDOT participates on the Key Infrastructure & Built Environment Subcommittee offering insight into infrastructure needs In addition: RIDOT is working with URI on vulnerability assessments RIDOT is working on reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

14 AASHTO Initiatives Focus on sustainable development Triple Bottom Line: Economy, Society, Environment Center for Environmental Excellence Share Information Provide Training Technical Assistance Research Climate Change Steering Committee Develop Climate Change Policy Liaise with other AASHTO programs

15 From an impact standpoint, climate change may not be all bad Improved navigational opportunities? Decreased snow plowing and deicing costs? Others?

16 Questions?