SESSION: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATIONS
description
Transcript of SESSION: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATIONS
SESSION: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATIONS Toward a More Resilient Transportation System: Adapting to Climate Change in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy
Heather Holsinger, Environmental Specialist, FHWA
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is collaborating with partners in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York on a project to enhance the region’s resiliency to climate change and extreme weather in the longer-term, while informing the ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery process. Building from a FHWA-sponsored New Jersey vulnerability assessment pilot, performed in 2011, the study will survey the damage and disruption wrought by Hurricane Sandy on the region’s transportation systems, along with that of Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Winter Storm Alfred (the Halloween Nor’easter of 2011). The project partnership will leverage the lessons learned from these events, as well as future climate projections, to develop feasible, cost-effective strategies to reduce and manage extreme weather vulnerabilities amid the uncertainties of a changing climate. A selection of regionally significant transportation facilities—ranging from roads, to bridges, tunnels, and ports—has been chosen by the region’s transportation agencies for a more detailed, engineering-based assessment. Results from the engineering assessments will inform a multimodal transportation vulnerability and risk assessment for the region. In addition, the project partnership will develop strategies for bolstering transportation resiliency for a selection of critical subareas. The project will provide information to agencies in the tri-state region—and nationwide—that seek to plan and invest for long-term climate resiliency while addressing today’s transportation challenges. A representative from FHWA and/or one of project partner organizations will discuss the overall project and some of the preliminary results. If requested, an overview of the FHWA’s broader climate resiliency work could also be provided.
Heather Holsinger is an Environmental Specialist with the Sustainable Transport and Climate Change Team in FHWA's Office of Natural Environment. Her work at FHWA involves policy development and analysis in the areas of climate change adaptation, sustainability, and electric vehicles. Prior to joining FHWA, Heather served as a Senior Policy Fellow and Program Manager for Adaptation at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, a Senior Analyst with the Natural Resources and Environment team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), and as an economic and environmental management consultant. She holds Masters Degrees from Duke University in resource economics and public policy and a BA from the University of Virginia with majors in Economics and Environmental Science.Brian ten Siethoff is a Principal of Cambridge Systematics, with 14 years of experience. He oversees Cambridge Systematics’ Transportation Planning and Management business line for the Northeast region. Mr. ten Siethoff is part of the FHWA Post-Hurricane Sandy Transportation Resiliency project management team, and was part of the NJTPA Climate Change Vulnerability and Risk Assessment pilot technical team. Mr. ten Siethoff received both a Master’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
Brian ten Siethoff, Principal, Cambridge Systematics
Toward a More Resilient Transportation System:
Adapting to Climate Change in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy
TRB ADC-60 Summer Workshop
Heather Holsinger, FHWA
Brian ten Siethoff, Cambridge Systematics
June 18, 2014
Office of Planning, Environment and RealtySustainable Transport & Climate Change Team
2
Photo: Flooding of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in NYC due to Hurricane Sandy. Source: MTA
US DOT Role and Mandate
• 23 USC: “protect safety, ensure mobility,”• U.S. DOT Policy statement (2011):
• Executive Order: Climate Preparedness (2013)• MAP-21:
– Planning: Includes consideration of vulnerability to climate change impacts in MPO scenario planning
– Asset Management: State DOTs required to develop asset management plans that address risks—climate change and extreme weather expected to be included in proposed rule as examples of types of risks could consider
• GROW AMERICA Act: would require states and MPOs to plan for climate resilience
“USDOT shall integrate consideration of climate change impacts and adaptation into the planning, operations, policies, and programs of DOT in order to ensure that taxpayer resources are invested wisely and that transportation infrastructure, services and operations remain effective in current and future climate conditions.”
Climate Change Adaptation at FHWA
Goal: Regular/Systematic consideration of climate change vulnerability and risk in transportation decision making, at:
• 1) Systems Level: Transportation Planning, Asset Management
• 2) Project Level: Environmental process, Preliminary Engineering, Design, Construction, Operations, Maintenance
Systems Level Goal: Consideration in Transportation Planning, Asset Management
Key Product:• Updated Climate Change & Extreme Weather
Vulnerability Assessment Framework (2015)
Activities:• Climate Resilience Pilots – round 2• Gulf Coast 2 (Mobile)• Hurricane Sandy Follow-up and Vulnerability
Assessment & Adaptation Analysis• Central NM Climate Change Scenario Planning Project
5
Project Level Goal: Consideration in Environmental Process, Preliminary Engineering, Design, Construction, Operations, Maintenance
Key Products: • Updated engineering manuals, methods and processes
Activities:• Engineering Assessments
– Gulf Coast 2 (Mobile)– Hurricane Sandy Follow-up and Vulnerability Assessment &
Adaptation Analysis– Transportation Engineering Approaches to Climate Resiliency– Climate Resilience Pilots
• HEC 25 - Vol 2: Highways in the Coastal Environment: Extreme Events
• Hydrology, hydraulic engineering research efforts, etc.
6
Climate Resilience Pilot & Other Project Locations
7
FHWA’s Climate Change & Extreme Weather Vulnerability Assessment Framework (2012)
Define Project Scope• Objectives• Relevant Assets• Climate Variables
Assess Vulnerability• Climate Inputs• Asset data, criticality,
sensitivity• Vulnerabilities, risk
Integrate Vulnerability Into Decision Making
8
2013-2014 Climate Resilience Pilot Program
Pilots using and building on FHWA’s Climate Change & Extreme Weather Vulnerability Assessment Framework
• Vulnerability and/or adaptation• Asset management• Hydraulics, hydrology
• Broad geographic coverage and range of impacts
• Furthering the state of practice in resilience to climate change
• FHWA plans to update the framework in 2015 based on lessons from the pilots
TennesseeMaine
MichiganArizonaAlaskaOregon
ConnecticutNew YorkMaryland
Massachusetts
IowaMinnesotaCalifornia
WashingtonNCTCOG
CAMPO (Austin)Hillsboro MPOSouth Florida
MPOsMTC (San Francisco)
19 Pilots
Technical guidance: HEC-25 Volume 2
• Highways in the Coastal Environment: Assessing Extreme Events
• Technical guidance, methods for incorporating extreme events and climate change into coastal highway designs
• Focus on sea level rise, storm surge, wave action
• Summer 2014
10
11
Primary Tasks1. Identify critical transportation
assets in Mobile (complete)
2. Identify climate effects, assess infrastructure sensitivity (complete)
3. Assess vulnerability of critical assets (Summer 2014)
4. Develop transferable risk management tools (Summer 2014)
Phase 1 Study Area
Phase 2 Study Area
Gulf Coast 2 Project: Mobile, Alabama
Gulf Coast 2 Project (cont.)
Vulnerability Screen• High-level analysis to find
assets most likely to be vulnerable to future changes (systems level)
Engineering Assessments• Detailed assessments of
specific assets in Mobile (project level)
• Eleven case studies
12
Post-Hurricane Sandy Project
13
• Builds on a FHWA 2011 NJ pilot
• Learn from experience of Sandy and identify strategies to improve resiliency
SLR 1 Meter, 2100, Coastal Study Area (Roadways). Source NJTPA
Post-Hurricane Sandy Project (cont.)
14
Sandy Project Study Area• Project Partners: – FHWA – FTA– NY, NJ, and CT DOTs– Metro area MPOs: NYMTC,
NJTPA, SWRPA, and GBRC– MTA– Port Authority
• Project Consultants:– Cambridge Systematics (prime)– AECOM– Stratus Consulting– Office of Radley Horton
Post-Hurricane Sandy Project (cont.)
• Primary tasks:– Assessment of damages, lessons learned, gaps in
climate analysis – Analysis of adaptation options for 10 transportation
assets (project level)– Region-wide multimodal vulnerability assessment
(systems level)
15
Extreme Weather Impacts Assessment
• Analyze historical data from recent storm-related damage and disruption
• Collect information on existing climate projections
• Conduct gap analysis to inform our assessment of future scenarios
Regional Damage Assessment: Data Sources
Summary of FHWA ER Projects (DRAFT)
FHWA Relief Projects by Asset Class (DRAFT)
FHWA Relief Projects by Climate Stressor (DRAFT)
FHWA Relief Projects by Failure Mode (DRAFT)
Review of Existing Climate Info and Gap Analysis
• Identified climate stressors of concern for region:– Storm surge – Heavy rain and inland
flooding – High temperature events – High wind events
• Reviewed existing projections
• Some supplementation likely required for the purposes of the gap analysis
Engineering-Based Adaptation Assessment
Engineering-Based Adaptation Assessment Process
Divided into 4 modules:
• Module 1: Define Climate Impacts • Module 2: Define Asset and Assess Vulnerability • Module 3: Assess Risk—Likelihood and Consequence • Module 4: Develop and Select Adaptation Strategies
Regional Vulnerability Assessment
• Identify future climate effects for analysis • Conduct vulnerability assessment of
transportation assets in the region building on previous project work
• Identify and map critically vulnerable sub-areas in the region
• Conduct a planning-level assessment of adaptive capacity
• Systems-level adaptation analysis for transportation assets in vulnerable subareas
Thank you!
Heather Holsinger (FHWA): [email protected]
Brian ten Siethoff (CS): [email protected]
BRI
26