addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAsFigure 9.2Point, Line, and Polygon Assets Assembled in GIS for Honolulu HarborSource:SSFM International, 2011, Transportation Asset Climate Change Risk Assessment, prepared for Oahu MPO.Relative Elevation. The relative elevation of an asset, which can be paired withpoints, lines, or polygons, is critical to a robust evaluation of vulnerability toinundation, but is not always embedded in transportation asset data. Therefore,these data are more likely to be derived from separate elevation layers (seeSection 3.2.2).Physical and Operational Characteristics. The determination of assetvulnerability (sometimes referred to as “sensitivity”) is dependent on more thanjust potential exposure. Sensitivity is also a function of how susceptible an assetis to potential climate hazards, both physically and operationally. For a highlevel assessment, data relevant to sensitivity determinations might include basicstructure type, condition, or material data, for which potential impact thresholdshave been established (e.g., 95°F for rail bucking). This picture can be enrichedfurther by including data on existing impacts, such as damage or disruption ofservice, due to extreme weather events. Although it is not possible to establish aconsistent correlation between the incidence of a given climate hazard andspecific impacts to infrastructure, together these data offer valuable clues to howassets or operations may be affected if those stressors grow more severe and/ormore frequent over time.Attributes of Criticality and Consequence. Once assets are identified aspotentially vulnerable, a major component in determining the risk posed by9-8 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.