Hawaiʻi Highways Climate Adaptation Action Plan and Hazard Tool Available Online

With the impacts of severe weather events and forecasted impacts of climate change on the roads and bridges that connect communities, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation’s has made its Hawai’i Highways Climate Adaptation Action Plan, exposure assessments and hazard viewer available online for the public.

“We are planning and preparing our infrastructure for the natural hazards ahead to avoid impacts where possible and ensure quick recovery in vulnerable areas,” said Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Deputy Director for Highways Ed Sniffen. “Having and sharing a coordinated action plan for climate adaptation and building it into all facets of our agency culture is a major step in protecting highway facilities and the people who depend on them.”

The Climate Adaptation Action Plan focuses on potential risks and impacts to state roads and bridges from severe weather hazards including landslides, lava flow, floods, wildfires and sea level rise. The plan also offers strategies for a more resilient highway system going forward.

In an effort to make the visualizations of the hazard data more accessible, a viewer tool has been developed and is posted to the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation’s website at hidot.hawaii.gov/resilience.

The viewer shows the areas of the state most susceptible to various hazards such as precipitation and temperature projections; rockfall and landslide exposure; and, wildfire and storm surge assessments.   

To see the exposure assessments, click here.