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On May 21-22, 2013, AASHTO held a national symposium, Impacts of Extreme Weather Events on Transportation, in Washington, D.C. The symposium was sponsored by AASHTO's Sustainable Transportation: Energy, Infrastructure, and Climate Solutions Technical Assistance Program, in coordination with the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO and the Federal Highway Administration. The symposium provided an opportunity for DOT staff from a broad range of disciplines to convene and discuss the implications of extreme weather events on transportation.
The event covered state DOT case studies related to experiences with extreme weather events; an overview of trends and projections for extreme weather in the United States; costs of extreme weather events; and risk management strategies in design, operations and maintenance, and asset management, and emergency response.
White Paper: Impacts of Extreme Weather on Transportation: National Symposium Summary (June 2013)
Symposium Program
Day 1 Presentations | Day 2 Presentations
Welcome
Bud Wright, Executive Director, AASHTO
Gloria Shepherd, Associate Administrator, FHWA
Office of Planning, Environment & Realty
Facilitator: Karuna Pujara, Maryland DOT
This session will feature case studies highlighting the extreme
weather experiences of state DOTs. Case studies will describe
impacts to transportation, share lessons learned on system performance,
and contribute best practices.
New Jersey DOT: Our Bout with Superstorm Sandy
Richard Shaw - New Jersey DOT
Flooding in the Midwest: A Minnesota Case Study
Andrea Hendrickson - Minnesota DOT
Impacts of "Snowmageddon" on Transportation
Terry Bellamy - District of Columbia DOT
2012 Waldo Canyon Fire
David Watt - Colorado DOT
Dust Storms in Arizona: The Challenge to Ensure Motorist Safety
Jennifer Toth - Arizona DOT
Synthesis and Discussion of Recent State DOT Experiences with
Extreme Weather
Karuna Pujara - Maryland DOT
Inland Waterway Navigation: Effects of Disruptions
and Lessons Learned
Alan Meyers - Parsons Brinckerhoff
Facilitator: Elisabeth Kolb - New York State
DOT
This session will cover trends and projections for extreme weather
events across the United States. It will also provide examples
of how state DOTs have partnered with agencies such as NOAA
in order to access needed information on extreme weather events.
During discussions, participants will exchange ideas for integrating
available information into transportation decision making.
Extreme Weather Events in the United States: Trends and Projections
Joe Casola - Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)
Integrating Weather Forecasts into Transportation Decision Making
David Green - National Weather Service
Useful Weather and Climate Resources for State DOTs
Ellen Mecray - NOAA
Assignment: Each group should prepare a "needs statement" stating (in 2 min or less) what data/information/assistance state DOTs need in order to better prepare for and recover from each type of extreme weather.
Coastal storms
Facilitator: Kevin Walsh - Massachusetts DOT
Inland floods
Facilitator: Michael Kennerly - Iowa DOT
Winter storms
Facilitator: Randy Van Portfliet - Michigan DOT
Heat waves, wildfires, and droughts
Facilitator: Kristen Keener Busby - Arizona DOT
Facilitator: Elisabeth Kolb - New York State
DOT
This session will provide participants with examples of how
state DOTs and other agencies have evaluated the costs of extreme
weather and benefits of adaptation.
Analyzing Extreme Weather Costs for Roadway Investment Decisions
Nathaniel Coley - U.S. DOT
Evaluating the Cost of Replacing Bonner Bridge
Joe Turner - North Carolina DOT
Discussion: Costs of Extreme Weather
What kinds of cost information do state DOTs need? How do state
DOTs envision using
these cost data? What are the barriers to collecting this information?
What could be done to help DOTs
overcome these barriers?
Welcome and Day 1 Recap
Jennifer Brickett - AASHTO
Facilitators: Rick Land, Caltrans (Design)
and Jennifer Brandenburg, NCDOT (Operations and Maintenance)
This session contains two breakout sessions that will highlight
the potential design and O&M strategies that state DOTs
are pursuing in order to increase resilience to extreme weather.
Designing for Extreme Weather Events: Survey Results from the
AASHTO Highway Design
Subcommittee
Rick Land - Caltrans
Changes to Extreme Precipitation Events: What the Historical
Record Shows and What It Means for Engineers
Geoffrey Bonnin - National Weather Service
Generating Extreme Weather Projections and Using Them to Assess
Vulnerability: Gulf Coast
Phase 2
Rob Kafalenos - FHWA
Vermont's Rivers and Roads: Managing for the Future
Rich Tetreault - VTrans
Discussion: Design Approaches
ALDOT Operations and Extreme Weather Events
George Conner - Alabama DOT
Impacts of Extreme Weather on Operations and Maintenance with
a Focus on Lake Effect Snow
Greg Johnson - Michigan DOT
Extreme Weather Events and Commercial Motor Vehicles in Missouri
Jan Skouby - Missouri DOT
Discussion: O&M Approaches
Facilitator: John Himmel - Washington State
DOT
This session will cover emergency management of extreme weather
events. Case studies will focus on communication strategies,
special considerations for extended extreme weather events,
and rebuilding to increase resilience.
Managing Vermont's Emergency Response to Irene
Rich Tetreault - VTrans
Managing an Extreme Weather Event of Prolonged Duration
Michael Kennerly - Iowa DOT
Innovative Communication Strategies During Extreme Weather Events
Lloyd Brown, AASHTO
Discussion: Managing Extreme Weather Best Practices
Best practices by time-frame (before event, during
event, after event) How can we re-build to increase resilience?
What are effective communication strategies? How can we best
leverage social media during extreme weather events?
Resiliency
Roderic Sechrist - New York State DOT
Facilitator: Alan Jones - Tennessee DOT
This session will focus on vulnerability and risk assessments,
with an emphasis on how asset management systems can support
those assessments.
Overview of FHWA Vulnerability Assessment Framework and Pilot
Program
Becky Lupes - FHWA
Transportation Asset Management: A Risk-Based Approach
Butch Wlaschin - FHWA
WSDOT's Risk Assessment
Casey Kramer - Washington State DOT
Evaluating Flood Risk in Massachusetts
Kevin Walsh - Massachusetts DOT
Coordinating Minnesota's Transportation Assets and Extreme Weather
Vulnerability
Duane Hill - Minnesota DOT
Discussion: Risk Assessment and Asset Management
What are best practices for assessing vulnerability and risk
due to extreme weather events? What kinds of data and processes
are required for a successful vulnerability assessment? How
can asset management systems be used to support risk assessment?
Symposium Synthesis & Moving Forward
Michael Lewis - AASHTO President and Director of Rhode Island
DOT
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