Target Completion Date: May 12, 2017 Environment, Planning, and Economics
Climate change will present significant challenges for transportation agencies, according to a 2008 National Research Council report. Some of these – sea-level rise, storm surge and other extreme weather events – already are affecting Virginia’s Tidewater region.
Being able to accurately and quickly project the potential impacts to transportation infrastructure from forecasted weather events will become more critical, given such challenges. The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) Hampton Roads District has begun to address the issue by creating a flood-warning system called the Regional River Severe Storm Model.
The model is a planning tool to help VDOT residency administrators efficiently allocate scarce resources when roads are closed and assist first responders with entering and exiting flood-prone areas. The purpose of this study is to speed the time from when rainfall forecasts are made to when on-the-ground projections of road closures are available to decision-makers.
Last updated: July 5, 2023