Identification of Physical Transportation Infrastructure Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise

The objective of this research was to integrate current data sources to develop a methodology for assessing the potential impacts of sea level rise (SLR) on Florida’s state and local transportation infrastructure to assist transportation planning. The proposed approach integrates the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) information system, and local roadway and hydrologic data with existing topographical and geological data to facilitate: i) the evaluation of current and projected SLR impacts on Florida’s coastline and low-lying terrain areas, and ii) the identification of the physical transportation infrastructure components that are most likely to be affected by frequent to continuous flooding due to SLR. A projection of SLR, and the timing for same was outlined using a benchmark approach that brackets time intervals as opposed to specific timing for improvements. Further research to evaluated the impact of groundwater levels as an exacerbating factor with respect to sea level rise. Storm surge is a future, more difficult area of investigation.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AF000(3) Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability Impacts on the Transportation Infrastructure.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Bloetscher, Frederick
  • Berry, Leonard
  • Romah, Thomas
  • Hammer, Nicole Hernandez
  • Cahill, Maria Abadal
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2013-1-13 to 2013-1-17
• Date: 2013

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 30p
• Monograph Title: TRB 92nd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Climate change; Floods; Global warming; Hazard mitigation; Highways; Risk assessment; Sea level; Transportation planning
• Geographic Terms: Florida
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Security and Emergencies; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01474180
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 13-0926
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 28 2013 4:31PM