Planning for Systems Management & Operations as part of Climate Change Adaptation

Download the Printable Version [PDF, 1.5 MB]
You may need the Adobe® Reader® to view the PDFs on this page.
Contact Information: Operations Feedback at OperationsFeedback@dot.gov.

Foreword

This paper is a deliverable on a technical support task for the FHWA Office of Operations. The objective of the task is to develop white papers on emerging and current topics of interest to the Office. Topics for white papers were primarily identified and prioritized based on internal listening sessions with Office of Operations personnel.

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the United States (U.S.) Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No FHWA-HOP-13-030	2. Government Accession No.		3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle Planning for Systems Management & Operations as part of Climate Change Adaptation			5. Report Date March 2013
			6. Performing Organization Code HOP
7. Author(s) Deepak Gopalakrishna, Jeremy Schroeder, Amy Huff, Amy Thomas, Amy Leibrand			8. Performing Organization Report No. Report
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Battelle 505 King Avenue Columbus, OH 43201			10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
			11. Contract or Grant No.
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations (HOP) 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20590			13. Type of Report and Period Covered Technical
			14. Sponsoring Agency Code FHWA
15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.
16. Abstract This paper is a deliverable on a technical support task for the FHWA Office of Operations. The objective of the task is to develop white papers on emerging and current topics of interest to the Office. Topics for white papers were primarily identified and prioritized based on internal listening sessions with Office of Operations personnel. This white paper presents various effects of climate change, and how those effects will impact transportation system management and operations. Also presented are presents various options for agencies to assess the vulnerabilities of transportation systems and proposed changes to make transportation operations more resilient to climate change.
17. Key Word Climate change, transportation systems operations, transportation system operations		18. Distribution Statement No restrictions.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified	20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified		21. No. of Pages 42	22. Price

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Climate Change Effects to Transportation System Management and Operations

• 2.1. Effects Associated with Climate Trends
  • 2.1.1. Air Temperature
  • 2.1.2. Precipitation
  • 2.1.3. Coastal Effects
  • 2.1.4. Human Health Effects
  • 2.1.5. Ecological Effects
• 2.2. Impacts Associated with Climate Events
  • 2.2.1. Air Temperature Events
  • 2.2.2. Precipitation Events
  • 2.2.3. Storms and Coastal Flooding
  • 2.2.4. Wildfires
  • 2.2.5. Landslides
  • 2.2.6. Dust Storms
• 2.3. Climate Change Effects in the Arctic (Alaska)
  • 2.3.1. Air Temperature
  • 2.3.2. Precipitation
  • 2.3.3. Ice, Snow Cover, and Permafrost

3. Impact of Climate Change Effects on Transportation System Management and Operating Agencies

• 3.1. Increased System Maintenance Needs
• 3.2. Changes to System Operations Practices and Strategies
• 3.3. Changing Travel Behavior
• 3.4. Changes to Freight Transportation

4. Agency Considerations for Assessing Vulnerability of Transportation Systems and Making O&M Climate-Resilient

• 4.1 Increasing capability to manage more frequent and more severe climate events
• 4.2 Planning for Operations in an uncertain future

5. Conclusions

6. References

Appendix A – Climate Change Impact Tables

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administraton
Office of Operations (HOP)
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

FHWA-HOP-13-030

March 2013