Figure 1.1 Relationship of Transportation Planning Timeframe and Infrastructure Service Life to Increasing Climate Change Impacts

planning and investment, so that issues of equity, economic development, envi ronmental stewardship, and sustainable communities are addressed in concert with infrastructure planning.

The findings and recommendations of this paper are based on a review of research and policy literature, interviews with senior policy-makers and managers of transportation agencies, a review of recent legislative initiatives, and the direct experience of the authors in climate impacts and adaptation work.

The white paper is organized as follows: Section 2.0 provides an introduction to the potential impacts of climate change, their effects on transportation, and some of the adaptation strategies and policies that have been recommended in the literature to address these impacts;

Section 3.0 summarizes legislative activity that has taken place at the state and federal level regarding adaptation;

Section 4.0 discusses recommended short-, medium-, and long-term policies needed to address climate impacts and adaptation for the

U.S. transportation system; and

Section 5.0 presents near-term recommendations for advancing these policies through

Federal legislation and policy.

Figure 1.1 Relationship of Transportation Planning Timeframe and Infrastructure Service Life to Increasing Climate Change Impacts

Engineering & Design

CLIMATE IMPACTS

Construction In Service

Facility Service Life

Transportation Planning Process

Project Concept Adopted long-range plan

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Years

Source: CCSP, 2008: Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure: Gulf Coast Study, Phase I. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research [Savonis, M. J., V.R. Burkett, and J.R. Potter (eds.)]. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., USA.