addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

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Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAsImpacts of Sea-Level Rise on the Regional TransportationSystemCalifornia’s vast network of roadways and railways include corridor segmentsthat are located in low-lying coastal areas. Aside from potential inundation ofkey assets, higher water levels may increase coastal bluff erosion rates, changeenvironmental characteristics that affect material durability (e.g., pH andchloride concentrations), lead to increased groundwater levels, and changesediment movement both along the shore and at estuaries and river mouths.Coastal transportation corridors (both road and rail) are at risk of serviceinterruption due to inundation and erosion. These coastal corridors are criticalfor both local commuting as well as a portion of shipping. Coastal erosion andcoastal and inland tidal zone road flooding can cause roadway damage and bothshorter longer term travel delays.Sea-level rise also impacts bridges by accelerating scour, the erosion caused byfast-flowing water containing abrasive particles or solids. Sea-level rise canexacerbate the removal of sand, earth, or silt from the bottom of banks of a riverand progressively wear away the support soils beneath a foundation support of abridge, such as a spread footing. These foundations support the bridge and, ifthe support soil is removed, the bridge will fail (collapse) under its own weight.Regional transportation planners will need to address the effects of sea-level rise.At the planning and project level, they will have to work with Caltrans toincorporate it in project development. Caltrans recently developed a projectscreening process to plan for the impact of different potential sea levels based ona facility’s importance for statewide travel, community safety, and other factors. 5Impacts of Increased Precipitation on the RegionalTransportation SystemExpected changes in precipitation, both for averages as well as extremes, willproduce a range of new impacts in California. The frequency, intensity andduration of intense precipitation events contribute to design specifications fortransportation infrastructure, and projected changes may necessitate the updateof design specifications for roadways, rail beds and stormwater drainage aroundroad and rail tracks. 65 California Department of Transportation, Climate Change Working Group, Guidanceon Incorporating Sea Level Rise: May 19, 2011.6 National Research Council of the National Academies (NRC), Potential Impacts ofClimate Change on U.S. Transportation, Transportation Research Board SpecialReport 290, Washington, D.C., 2008.4-8 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAsMore intense precipitation may cause an increased incidence of flooding alongcoastal roadways and rail lines. Low-lying bridge and tunnel entrances for railand rail transit will also be more susceptible to flooding, and thousands ofculverts and other drainage infrastructure could be undersized—designed fortoday’s precipitation instead of tomorrow’s. 7The cycle of landslides closely follows the rainfall intensity in the winter months.Repeated periods of high-intensity rainfall often result in landslides throughoutthe State, resulting in, among other things, closures of roads, rail lines, and othertransportation systems. For example, the recurrence of the La Conchita landslideroughly every 10 years is caused by winter storms that, in the last failure,completely closed Highway 101 and the parallel rail corridor for a week (CNRA2012).Changing precipitation could result in erosion and subsidence of transportationinfrastructure like rail beds, causing the interruption or disruption of traffic. Thechanging precipitation (for instance, changes from frozen to liquid precipitation)could change runoff patterns, increasing the risk of floods, landslides, slopefailures, and consequent damage to roadways and rail beds, especially ruralareas in the winter and spring months. 8Impacts of Changing Temperature on the RegionalTransportation SystemCalifornia should expect overall hotter conditions by the end of the century. Allmodel projections suggest increased temperatures, with the level of emissionsrepresenting the biggest uncertainty: temperature levels will rise more quicklyand be higher by the end of this century with higher emissions.Changes in temperature may damage materials used in roads and othertransportation infrastructure. The increase in average temperature will also havea cumulative impact on the material properties of infrastructure systems.Individual days of extreme temperatures can also produce failures. Typicalconstruction materials degrade in extreme heat, cold, and moisture. An increasein the intensity of these elements will result in more rapid degradation of analready aged infrastructure.Changing temperature may affect increased freeze-thaw conditions, creatingfrost heaves and potholes on road and bridge surfaces and compromising railbeds. Longer periods of extreme heat can cause deformation of asphalt and rails,increasing the chance of derailments, or at a minimum, requiring speed7 Ibid.8 Ibid.Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 4-9
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appendix b reportState-of-the-Pract
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State-of-the-Practice Climate Chang
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C A L I F O R N I AADAPTATIONPLANNI
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Adaptation Planning Guide - Advisor
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List of Tables (cont’d.)Table 6.
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Climate Impact RegionsThe APG is or
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APGSTART HERE:PLANNING FOR ADAPTIVE
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What are the designated climate imp
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CA Climate Adaptation Planning Guid
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• Selected Demographic Data. Sele
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Cal-Adapt ProjectionsTable 1. Summa
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Selected Infrastructure and Regiona
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illnesses due to air pollution resu
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Additional Resources• Sea level r
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Cal-Adapt ProjectionsTable 5. Summa
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frequency can harm forests. Large i
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Bay Area RegionCounties: Alameda, C
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the Sacramento and San Joaquin rive
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Table 12. Selected Population Data
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Sea level rise is also expected to
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Additional Resources• Public Heal
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Cal-Adapt ProjectionsTable 13. Summ
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Table 16. Selected Population Data
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As with crops, climate change impac
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Additional Resources• Wildfire Re
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elevations, increased static levee
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The ecosystem functions of the Delt
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Setting and HistoryThe California D
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The islands in the lower Bay-Delta
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Some of the questions that should b
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Southern Central Valley RegionCount
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Biophysical CharacteristicsThe west
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The crops produced are varied and i
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Communities in this region should e
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have the resources to prepare for,
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Additional Resources• Sea Level R
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Timber practices have also had ecos
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Southeast Sierra RegionCounties: Al
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Biophysical CharacteristicsThe sout
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ultimately result in reduced water
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particular concern are populations
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Additional Resources• Sea Level R
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industry around Big Bear. As there
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California Natural Resources Agency
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