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From page 2... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 2 Findings and Applications Summary: What We Know from the Literature Resilience adoption and climate adaptation planning and implementation by United States transportation agencies is relatively new, really less than 10 years old. Most reference documents on these topics have a heavy focus on threats, hazards and potential impacts from extreme weather and climate impacts. Read the entire page →
From page 3... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 3 Comprehensive resilience adoption requires dedication and attention from virtually every sector and individual in the transit system, from operations and maintenance personnel- usually the "first observers" of what is going on "on the ground," through asset management, engineering, short- and long-term financial and capital planning, and more. In addition to its strong ties to asset management, noted above, resilience planning also has much in common with the safety culture that is being sought in most transit agencies. Read the entire page →
From page 4... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 4 Table 1: Natural Disasters, Threats, Hazards and Potential Impacts Disaster/Threat/Hazard Potential Impacts on Public Transit Infrastructure and Services Temperature Extremes High Heat Days  Overheated electrical equipment, power failures and brown outs Asphalt and rail buckling  Binding/locking of moveable bridges  Sagging and/or failure of catenary systems  Auxiliary system failures at stations and on buses/trains due to increased use of air conditioning  Worker/customer health and safety concerns  Vehicle overheating and excess wear and tear on vehicle components, such as air conditioning and tires  Slow travel orders due to equipment stress (vehicles, tracks, catenary) Very Cold Days  Rail fracturing Asphalt heaving/potholes from freeze-thaw  Increase in rock falls from freeze-thaw  Gradual degradation of tracks/rail beds from increased freeze-thaw  Freezing of waterways navigated by ferries and ice jams impacting bridges  Frozen air lines on locomotives and gelling of diesel engine fuel  More rapid degradation of batteries utilized by rail and buses  Worker/customer health and safety concerns  Frozen rail switches Severe Storm Events and Coastal Storms High Wind/Lightning  Power failures due to tree and debris damage Damage to signage and other overhead structures  Wind induced bridge vibrations/damage  Damage or replacement to bus shelters  Vehicle damage from blowing debris  Lightning strike damage to catenary lines, circuitry and switching systems  Slow travel orders for vehicles operating under high wind conditions  Disruption of passenger information systems Heavy Rain, Temporary Inundation from Urban/Street, Riverine, and Flash Flooding and Storm Surge  Power failures due to flooding of substations  Damaged electrical transmission, signal systems and other circuitry associated with surface and subterranean facilities  Cessation of operations until flooding subsides and damage is repaired  Failure of overwhelmed drainage systems  Bridge pier and abutment scouring  Landslides, washouts, land subsidence and erosion along/adjacent to infrastructure  Diminished visibility that impedes operations  Damage from salt water intrusion to low-lying coastal infrastructure  Damage to fixed facilities such as stations (surface and subterranean) Read the entire page →
From page 5... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 5 Disaster/Threat/Hazard Potential Impacts on Public Transit Infrastructure and Services Sea level Rise  Higher water tables and permanently flooded infrastructure is renderedinoperable  Flooding of waterside ferry terminals, docks and piers on a recurring basis  Infrastructure previously unaffected becomes vulnerable due to changing flood zones and exposure to salt water, tidal flooding and storm surge  Reduction in bridge clearance on waterways Winter Storms  Power failure/damaged electrical infrastructure from accumulatingsnow/ice  Delays due to snow/ice removal operations  Urban/street and riverine flooding from snow melt  Risks to employee/customer safety due to slippery walkways/platforms  Slow travel orders or annulments of service Earthquakes  Ground and embankment failure resulting in rail/pavement damage Track and tunnel misalignments  Rerouting to undamaged areas  Damage to stations, bridges and buildings (fixed facilities)  Damage to docks, levees, channels and dams necessary to maintain water-borne transit  Potential debris on tracks and across navigable waterways  Train derailment and overturned rail cars during event  Widespread impacts resulting in extensive assessment and repair time  Stranded customers following event  Reduced capacity to implement emergency plans Wildfires  Damage to fixed facilities located in the path of fire Potential rerouting or cessation of services until danger has passed  Employee health and safety concerns Drought-Dust Storms  Vegetation loss impacting erosion control and maintenance Decrease in water levels restricting use of navigable waterways  Increase susceptibility to wildfires and the vulnerabilities such an event creates  Reduced visibility and safety (Sources: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18) Read the entire page →
From page 6... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 6 practice relative to how public agencies are trying to make their infrastructure, assets and services more resilient to natural disasters and climatic events. Resilience Adoption: State of the Practice The National Academies has defined resilience as "the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, respond, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events," noting further that "enhanced resilience allows better anticipation of disasters and better planning to reduce disaster losses -- rather than waiting for an event to occur and paying for it afterward." (19) Read the entire page →
From page 7... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 7 Adoption Domain Resilience Strategies  Promote inter/intra-agency peer-to-peer knowledge exchange with agencies/departments with resilience adoption experience.  Develop annual training programs and exercises to respond to emergency conditions. Read the entire page →
From page 8... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 8 Adoption Domain Resilience Strategies  Use green infrastructure solutions to reduce storm water runoff and mitigate localized flooding.  Install protective measures such as flood mitigation, retaining walls to stabilize embankments, etc. Read the entire page →
From page 9... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 9 Adoption Domain Resilience Strategies  Establish mutual aid agreements and other cooperative arrangements to facility implementation of emergency response and recovery plans. (Sources: 3,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,21,22) Read the entire page →
From page 10... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 10 progress has been made among transportation agencies and transit operators in New Jersey, comprehensive enterprise-wide adoption of resilience considerations remains elusive (24) Read the entire page →
From page 11... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 11  Documenting and disseminating institutional knowledge  Integrating the adaptation and analysis solutions developed into current management practices. Read the entire page →
From page 12... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 12 FTA Study Description  Provides a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan for the Los Angeles County MTA; and  Outlines a process for addressing risk to climate change within an agency's asset management system through the identification of an asset's vulnerability and criticality over a specific time period. The report outlines a methodology for conducting such identification. Read the entire page →
From page 13... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 13 In the most recent update (2014) of the USDOT's Climate Adaptation Plan, DOT identifies three "high-level priority actions" designed to "improve the transportation sector's ability to assess and build resilience to risks posed by climate variability and change." (14) Read the entire page →
From page 14... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 14 New York State MTA (NY MTA) As noted earlier, NY MTA's efforts to improve the sustainability and resilience of its transit services, infrastructure and other assets dates back to 2007 when a blue ribbon commission on sustainability was convened to "…expand the ‘greening power of transit' to more riders and communities, while managing and reducing the NY MTA's per rider energy consumption and environmental footprint." The commission had six working groups, including one focused on climate adaptation. Read the entire page →
From page 15... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 15 design, climate risk assessment for TOD programs and expansion projects, target elevations for new construction, assessment of MTA insurance programs, and other adaptive strategies." (34) Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY&NJ) Read the entire page →
From page 16... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 16 The three examples described above represent comprehensive approaches to resilience adoption that start with statements of principles, goals and policies which guide implementation of resilience measures enterprise-wide. Evidence of incremental adoption of resilience approaches and measures in the areas of policy, planning and administration are also found in the literature. Read the entire page →
From page 17... ... The rec Inventory scenarios; typically c  A  A  Q  E  R  R  L  A ommended assets and a 4) Finalize aptured in an sset age sset condition uantity xpected usefu eplacement c ehabilitation ocation sset type or c Figure 1: process for d vailable data investment s asset invent l life ost schedule and ategory (39) Read the entire page →
From page 18... ... Many t These ass climate i condition, incorpora strategies and bud addition, managem the op integratio into the organizati adaptation seamlessly the ass process b risk asse componen managem example, exposure weather e climate cause ass deteriorat accelerate managem a tool to of deferr or not re This may increased considerat provide a managem An imp demonstra managem on how opportuni enterprise manage r assets." (1  A "Asse  A  A ransit agenci et manageme mpacts on ting adapt into capital p gets." (3) "… ent systems portunity n of adapt culture of on. Read the entire page →
From page 19... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 19 climate change adaptation considerations in the system;  Discussion on the integration of climate adaptation into MARTA's decision-making processes; and  Recommendations regarding possible adaptation strategies based on the climate hazards identified for the transit system service area (13) Read the entire page →
From page 20... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 20 Project Development, Infrastructure Design, and Construction The transportation project development process typically includes all or some of the following steps: a needs assessment, alternatives analysis, environmental review, preliminary engineering/design, final engineering/design, and construction. Each step in the process presents an intervention point during which resilience can/should be considered. Read the entire page →
From page 21... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 21 In addition, some transportation stakeholders have observed that even widely used engineering design guidelines for drainage systems and culverts appear inadequate to address the increasing frequency of intense rainfall events (24) Read the entire page →
From page 22... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 22 Despite CEQ guidance and state laws, a 2013 practice review completed for the Federal Highway Administration found that transportation agencies were beginning to consider future climate change impacts on project design, but "very few agencies in the United States have explicitly required design changes in anticipation of future climate change." The study did however find evidence that "…many agencies have retrofitted or rebuilt assets based on recent experiences with extreme weather." (5) For example, the California Department of Transportation "…is beginning to screen proposed roadway structures in the project initiation phase to identify potential sea level rise vulnerabilities and determine the need to incorporate adaptation measures." (5) Read the entire page →
From page 23... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 23 the adoption of resilience measures in policy and planning, asset management and project development and design. It is important to remember as well that day-to-day decisions regarding the operation and maintenance of transit systems offers a critical opportunity to consider resilience and adaptation needs. Read the entire page →
From page 24... ... so id ca ad di The int Figu 2015 Emergen As note prepare an closely to recovery. "better an transporta briefing p Homeland (NIMS) Read the entire page →
From page 25... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 25 power or having multiple means of radio communications. Both allow for the continuity of operations during disasters (5,9,49) Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 26 The final phase, recovery, includes activities designed to return the transit system back to normal service, for example, conducting damage assessments, inspecting and repairing assets, and reestablishing transit operations as quickly as possible while maintaining the safety of transit employees and the public (9) Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 27 Finally, Houston METRO has developed a practical and useful outline for recovery planning. The agency established a five step process to address recovery: 1) Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 28 As noted above, examples of resilience adoption can be found across the country, in response to a variety of hazards and among agencies large and small. Many agencies have proactively undertaken vulnerability assessments and some have begun to incorporate resilience considerations as part of system planning, capital programming, asset management, project development, operations, and maintenance activities. Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 29 Table 5. Key Components of Safety Culture (47) Read the entire page →
From page 30... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 30 7. Chicago Transit Authority, and TranSystems. Read the entire page →
From page 31... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 31 27. Read the entire page →
From page 32... ... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 32 48. Excalibur Associates, Inc. Read the entire page →

From page 2...

... TCRP A-41: Final Research Report 2 Findings and Applications Summary: What We Know from the Literature Resilience adoption and climate adaptation planning and implementation by United States transportation agencies is relatively new, really less than 10 years old. Most reference documents on these topics have a heavy focus on threats, hazards and potential impacts from extreme weather and climate impacts.