TA 112699 Final Document: Structure Vulnerability to Climate Change: A Guidance Document for VDOTPrincipal investigators: Bridget Donaldson and Lewis Lloyd
In designing bridges and culverts, VDOT engineers account for a variety of factors, including maximum water levels and flow conditions that a structure must accommocate during extreme weather events. Many designs developed by transportation departments, particularly those in coastal states, are now taking into account the increasing severity and duration of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. In order to properly plan for these infrastructure challenges, VDOT's Structure and Bridge Division has requested the assistance of the Virginia Transportation Research Council. This project will include working with the Structure and Bridge Division to develop guidance for the design of new bridges and culverts. This guidance will based on VTRC's review of (1) current literature on climate change projections for sea level rise, storm surges, and temperature changes and how these events might affect design decisions, and (2) actions taken by other states to accommodate the effects of climate change in their design decisions.
