addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAsA summary of major infrastructure and other regional facilities can help indefining which assets are most vulnerable or at risk, and also which ones aremost critical to the regional transportation system. It can also begin to outlinewhat economic functions need to be supported by the region’s transportationnetwork. As such, the regional evaluations include a range of infrastructure,including transportation, electricity, water, wastewater, and natural gas, andinvolves systems critical for the provision of services. Other resources addressedinclude wastewater treatment plants and power plants. Also included are stateand federal parks that may be affected by climate change but also serve as aresource in devising adaptation strategies, particularly for sensitive species.5.2 BASIC CLIMATE IMPACTS ON THE REGIONALTRANSPORTATION SYSTEMBased on the data developed from the Adaptation Planning guide, as well as theimpacts to transportation summarized in Chapter 4.0 of this guide, the climateimpacts that are likely to take place and have an effect on the transportationsystems in California include sea-level rise, increased extreme precipitationevents, and increased extreme heat events. These three climate stressors have themost significant potential to impact California’s transportation network andshould be considered, at a minimum qualitatively, during the RTP process.Regional transportation planners have a role in planning for existing and futuretransportation projects in the face of a changing climate. This includesevaluating today’s already complex transportation network and the projectionsfor major interconnectivity projects up to 2035 and beyond. Transportationaffected by a changing climate includes roadways, railways, airports, marineports, and shipping routes. It also includes the structures that support theseroutes, including bridges, culverts, tunnels and tracks.Transportation infrastructure can be affected by climate change through directdisruption of service due to fire, inundation, or landslide; changes in efficiencyand maintenance requirements; and increased demand. Disruption oftransportation systems has the potential to be detrimental to the economicvitality of the communities relying on them for delivery of goods and services.5.3 WHAT CAN EVERY MPO OR RTPA DO?To date, there is no requirement at the federal or state level for including climateadaptation into the regional transportation planning process. However, theproactive consideration of climate change in the process is an aspect of goodplanning. Even without extensive data or capacity and resources capabilities,any MPO or RTPA can conduct a basic assessment of how climate impacts putthe region’s most critical transportation assets at risk. For these identified risks,this guide provides a short list of possible adaptation strategies on key5-4 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.