Lawmakers Demand Resiliency in New Transportation Projects

WASHINGTON — As the search for bodies continues in Hawaii after last month’s wildfires, a Senate committee on Wednesday discussed how climate change is likely to interfere with the nation’s transportation systems.

So far in 2023, the hottest year in history, heat is blamed for washed-out roads in California and Florida, railroad tracks buckling in Texas and greater turbulence for airliners.

Hawaiian Electric Co., which is accused of allowing uninsulated power lines to fall into grasses dried by high temperatures, said in a statement that it has “long recognized the unique threats” from climate change.

Now it faces the kind of potentially devastating legal liabilities that lawmakers said Wednesday they want to avoid.

“The heat is on and I think it is going to be for a long while,” said Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

He said he wants to make sure the nation’s infrastructure is built or rebuilt with new “resiliency” measures to protect transportation systems against climate change.

Funding for the measures can be found in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, that President Joe Biden signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021. It is the biggest single transportation appropriation law in U.S. history, providing $550 billion through 2026 for infrastructure, including roads, bridges, mass transit, water systems and broadband.

Also a first for federal transportation funding are the resiliency provisions established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Formula Program.

It sets aside $8.7 billion for state transportation departments to help them make surface transportation more resilient to natural hazards, such as wildfires, sea level rise, flooding and extreme heat.

Carper said that in addition to protecting transportation systems from climate change, the investments could create jobs for the people who make, install and operate the infrastructure.

“If we’re smart, we’ll do both,” Carper said.

The resiliency anticipated by the PROTECT program could save the U.S. economy $470 billion by the end of this century, he said.

Getting to that point remains a challenge as the transportation industry tries to adapt to new realities of climate change. Many ideas are being suggested but an equal number of them are unproven, according to environmentalists who testified at the Senate hearing.

David Hondula, director of the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation for Phoenix, Arizona, said his city is experimenting with reflective coatings on street pavements. Rather than contributing to urban heat islands by absorbing heat, the coatings reflect sunlight, thereby lowering the surface temperature by as much as 12 degrees.

Phoenix also has a goal for creating 200 miles of shaded areas along streets with more trees and other methods, he said. The city is reducing carbon emissions by switching more of its vehicles from fossil fuels to electric motors.

Phoenix endured 55 days this summer with temperatures over 110 degrees.

Hondula acknowledged his plans for coping with high heat will not resolve underlying challenges of climate change.

“Unfortunately I think we’re still in the early stages of learning what it means to build heat resilient communities,” he said.

Hondula suggested that cities affected by climate change designate a “heat leader” to guide their resiliency efforts.

Aimee Flannery, a principal for the consulting engineering firm Jacobs Solutions Inc., recommended that federal funding for climate projects reflect the different problems faced by each community.

“I think flexibility is very important,” Flannery said.

Travis Parsons, director of occupational safety and health for Laborers International Union of North America, said hazards for construction and other workers who build or operate infrastructure should be considered in federal investments. Rising temperatures increase their risks for dehydration as well as heart, kidney and respiratory problems.

“It is essential to note that extreme heat claims more lives than any other weather phenomenon,” Parsons said.

He recommended more cool-down breaks, access to water and air conditioners on job sites.
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