Enhancing the Resilience of Idaho’s Transportation Network to Natural Hazards and Climate Change
PI: Tim Frazier (UI), tfrazier@uidaho.edu
Dates: 07/01/2013 – 7/31/2015
Final Project Report: PacTrans-52-UI-Frazier
The goals of this research are to determine both the process (i.e., methodology) and the technology (i.e., models) through which the vulnerability science community may provide value on critical and pervasive hazard risk-related issues to state and regional decision makers in Idaho for the purpose of transportation infrastructure resilience enhancement. To achieve the research goals, this study will conduct a probabilistic risk and vulnerability assessment of the state’s transportation network to current and future hazards with a special focus on increased flooding and landslide hazards associated with climate variability and change. Upon completion of the vulnerability assessment, mitigation and adaptation strategies will be developed in collaboration with the Idaho Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security (IBHS) for the purpose of reducing negative impacts associated with current and future geophysical phenomenon. The research will have three phases: 1) Conduct a hazards and climate change vulnerability assessment to determine current and future threats to the state’s transportation network; 2) Conduct a needs assessment with IDOT and IBHS to determine short and long-term mitigation and adaptation opportunities and constraints; 3) Presentation of results. By the end of the proposal year, the researcher will have developed a methodology and research results that will determine the vulnerability of the state of Idaho’s transportation network to current geophysical hazards and future hazards associated with climate change impacts. Overall, the proposed research is expected to produce the following outcomes: (1) Geographic information system (GIS) modeling to determine the vulnerability of the state’s transportation network geophysical hazards. (2) A framework for determining opportunities and constraints for transportation mitigation strategies. (3) A short and long range plan for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies to enhance the resilience of Idaho’s transportation network. (4) Process evaluation by research stakeholders.
