Climate Change and Transportation Engineering: Preparing for a Sustainable Future
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 6
Abstract
Climate change has been identified by many scientists, engineers, and public officials as one of the significant challenges facing society over the next several decades. And of civil engineered facilities, the transportation network is likely to be one of the systems most affected by changing climate, weather, and local environmental conditions. This paper examines the current practice of looking at transportation system adaptation to climate changes and develops a conceptual framework of the different components of transportation infrastructure that will be affected differently by a range of climate changes. An adaptive systems management approach is suggested as one approach for transportation engineers to anticipate likely climate changes, identify vulnerabilities in the transportation system, and assess different strategies for mitigating potential impacts. The result of this approach is a strategic perspective on what transportation agencies should do today and in the future to respond to changing environmental conditions. Developing an organizational strategy for dealing with the different elements of these changes is a critical component of this strategic perspective.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Andrew Hoenig of the Georgia Department of TransportationUSDOT for providing design drawing details that were used to create Fig. 1.
References
Alaska Adaptation Advisory Group. (2010). “Adaptation advisory group draft final report.” 〈http://www.climatechange.alaska.gov/aag/aag.htm〉 (Jan. 27, 2010).
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). (2004a). AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications, AASHTO, Washington, DC.
AASHTO. (2004b). Model drainage manual, 3rd Ed., AASHTO, Washington, DC.
AASHTO. (2009). “Transportation—Are we there yet?: Climate change and sustainability.” 〈http://www.transportation1.org/tif8climatechg/ClimateChange.pdf〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Attwater, C., and Witte, E. (2008). “Adaptation options—More than a short term cost benefit approach. Coffs Harbour.” IPWEA National Conf. on Climate Change Responding to Sea Level Rise, Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, Sydney, Australia.
Australian Greenhouse Office. (2004). “Economic issues relevant to costing climate change impacts.” 〈http://www.climatechange.gov.au/impacts/publications/pubs/costing.pdf〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Budhu, M. (2000). Soil mechanics and foundations, Wiley, New York.
Burton, I., Dringer, E., and Smith, J. (2006). “Adaptation to climate change: International policy options.” Pew Center on Global Climate Change. 〈http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/PEW_Adaptation.pdf〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
California Natural Resources Agency. (2009). “California climate adaptation strategy.” 〈http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/adaptation/index.html〉 (Dec. 2, 2009).
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (2006). “Potential impacts of climate variability and change to transportation systems and infrastructure—Gulf Coast study.” Highway and Transit, Draft Technical Memorandum to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Cambridge, MA.
Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER). (2007). “The US economic impacts of climate change and the costs of inaction.” Univ. of Maryland, 〈http://www.cier.umd.edu/documents/US%20Economic%20Impacts%20of%20Climate%20Change%20and%20the%20Costs%20of%20Inaction.pdf〉 (Apr. 17, 2011).
Changnon, S., Kunkel, K., and Reinke, B. (1996). “The impacts and responses to the 1995 heat wave: A call to action.” Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 77(7), 1497-–1506.
City of Berkeley. (2009). “Climate action plan.” 〈http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_ and_Sustainable_Development/Berkeley%20Climate%20Action%20Plan.pdf〉 (Apr. 17, 2011).
Coduto, D. (1999). Geotechnical engineering, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Council of Australian Governments. (2007). “National climate change adaptation framework.” 〈http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2007-04-13/docs/national_climate_change_adaption_framework.pdf〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Department for Transport. (2004). “The changing climate: its impact on the Department for Transport.” London: Department for Transport, 〈http://www.dft.gov.uk/pdf/pgr/scienceresearch/key/thechangingclimateitsimpacto1909〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Easterling, W. E., Hurd, B. H., and Smith, J. B. (2004). Coping with climatic change: The role of adaptation in the United States, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Arlington, VA.
Ellingwood, B., and Dusenberry, D. (2005). “Building design for abnormal loads and progressive collapse.” Computer-aided civil and infrastructure engineering, Vol. 20, Blackwell, Malden, MA, 194–205.
European Union. (2006). “Impacts and adaptation, regional planning, energy and public, infrastructure and structural funds, sectoral report.” European Climate Change Programme, Working Group II, 〈http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/pdf/eccp/impactsadaptation〉 (Dec. 29, 2008).
Federal Highway Administration. (2005). Coastal bridges and design storm frequency, Office of Bridge Technology, Washington, DC.
Florida Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change. (2008). “Florida’s energy and climate change action plan.” 〈http://www.flclimatechange.us/documents.cfm〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Greater London Authority. (2005). “Climate change and London’s transport systems.” Greater London Authority, 〈http://www.london.gov.uk/lccp/publications/docs/climatetransportsept05.pdf〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Highways Agency. (2009). Climate change adaptation framework, London.
Instanes, A., et al. (2005). “Infrastructure: Buildings, support systems, and industrial facilities.” Chapter 16, Arctic climate impact assessment, Cambridge University Press, New York.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2007). “Climate change 2007: The physical science basis.” Contribution of working group I to the Fourth Assessment Rep. of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, S. Solomon, D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K. B. Averyt, M. Tignor, and H. L. Miller, eds., Cambridge University Press, New York.
Jacob, K. H., Edelbaum, N., and Arnold, J. (2000). “Sector report: Infrastructure—Risk increase to infrastructure due to sea level rise.” Climate Change and a Global City. An Assessment of the Metropolitan East Coast (MEC) Region, 〈http://metroeast_climate.ciesin.columbia.edu/reports/infrastructure.pdf〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Jacob, K. H., Edelbaum, N., and Arnold, J. (2001). “Infrastructure.” Chapter 4 plus Appendices, Climate change and a global city: The potential consequences of climate variability and change—Metro East Coast. Report for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change for the United States, C. Rosenzweig and W. Solecki, eds., Columbia Earth Institute, New York, 47–65 and 197–200, 〈http://ccsr.columbia.edu/cig/mec/index.html〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Jacob, K., Gornitz, V., and Rosenzweig, C. (2007). “Vulnerability of the New York City metropolitan area to coastal hazards, including sea level rise—Inferences for urban coastal risk management and adaptation policies.” Chapter 9, Managing coastal vulnerability: Global, regional, local, L. McFadden, R. J. Nicholls, and E. Penning-Rowsell, eds., Elsevier, New York.
Kinsella, Y., and McGuire, F. (2005). Climate change uncertainty and the state highway network: A moving target, Transit New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand.
Kirshen, P., Edgers, L., Edelmann, J, Percher, M., Bettencourt, B., and Lewandowski, E. (2002). “A case study of the possible effects of long-term climate change on bridge scour.” Conf. on Scour of Foundations, Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX, 17–20.
Local Government Association of Queensland. (2007). “Adapting to climate change: A Queensland local government guide.” Local Government Association of Queensland, 〈http://www.lgaq.asn.au/lgaq/publications/LGAQ_Climate%20Change〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Luers, A. L., and Moser, S. C. (2006). Preparing for the impacts of climate change in California: Opportunities and constraints for adaptation, California Climate Change Center, Berkeley, CA.
Maryland Commission on Climate Change. (2008). “The Maryland climate change commission’s climate action plan.” 〈http://www.mdclimatechange.us/〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Meyer, M. (2008). ”Design standards for U.S. transportation infrastructure: The implications of climate change.” Special Rep. 290, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 〈http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr290Meyer.pdf〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
National Committee on Coastal and Ocean Engineering. (2004). Guidelines for responding to the effects of climate change in coastal and ocean engineering, Engineers Australia, Barton, Australia.
National Research Council. (2003). Preventing earthquake disasters, the grand challenge in earthquake engineering, National Academies Press, Washington, DC.
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Resources. (2009). “The New Hampshire climate action plan.” 〈http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/air/tsb/tps/climate/action_plan/nh_climate_action_plan.htm〉 (Jul. 20, 2009).
New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC). (2009). “Climate risk information.” 〈http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2009/NPCC_CRI.pdf〉 (Feb. 15, 2009).
Pew Center on Global Climate Change. (2011). “Climate change 101: Adaptation.” 〈http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/climate101-adaptation.pdf〉 (Apr. 17, 2011).
Reese, L., Isenhower, W., and Wang, S.-T. (2006). Shallow and deep foundations, Wiley, New York.
Rossiter, L. (2004). Climate change impacts on the state highway network: Transit New Zealand’s position, Transit New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand.
Simiu, E., and Scanlan, R. (1996). Wind effects on structures, fundamentals and applications to design, Wiley Interscience, New York.
Smith, O. (2006). “Trends in transportation maintenance related to climate change.” Climate Change Workshop, Center for Transportation and Environment, Washington, DC.
Soo Hoo, W., Sumitani, M., and Cohen, S. (2005). Climate change will impact the Seattle department of transportation, Office of City Auditor, Seattle.
Sturm, T. W. (2001). Open channel hydraulics, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Suarez, P., Anderson, W., Mahal, V., and Lakshmanan, T. R. (2005). “Impacts of flooding and climate change on urban transportation: A systemwide performance assessment of the Boston metro area.” Transp. Res. Part D, 10(3), 231–244.
Transit New Zealand. (2004). “Climate change adaptation.” 〈http://www.transit.govt.nz/planning/climate.jsp〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
Transportation Research Board. (2008). “Potential impacts of climate change on U.S. transportation.” Special Rep. 290, Washington, DC.
Transportation Research Board. (2010). “Research in progress: Design-flood flows in a changing climate.” Washington, DC, 〈http://rip.trb.org/browse/dproject.asp?n=22909〉 (Feb. 5, 2010).
Tufts University. (2004). “Climate’s long-term impacts on metro Boston.” Final Rep., Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Grant No. R.827450-01, Washington, DC, 〈http://www.tufts.edu/tie/climb/〉 (Jan. 3, 2009).
United States Climate Change Science Program. (2006a). “Final report of synthesis and assessment product 4.1 (Coastal sensitivity to sea-level rise: A focus on the Mid-Atlantic region).” 〈http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-1/final-report/default.htm#finalreport〉 (Apr. 17, 2011).
United States Climate Change Science Program. (2006b). “Final report of synthesis and assessment product 4.2 (Thresholds of climate change in ecosystems).” 〈http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-2/final-report/default.htm〉 (Apr. 17, 2011).
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 6 • June 2011
Pages: 393 - 403
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 16, 2009
Accepted: Nov 3, 2010
Published online: Dec 8, 2010
Published in print: Jun 1, 2011
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.