Resilience and Transportation Planning

Federal Highway Administration2017PDFTech ReportUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationMcCullough, JodyHolsinger, HeatherUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited StatesResilience (Materials)Transportation planningInfrastructureFHWA-HEP-17-028The nation\u2019s transportation system is essential to the economic prosperity and quality of life of communities. In order to play this critical role infrastructure must be secure and resilient to a myriad of hazards. Resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from disruptions. The Fixing America\u2019s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, signed into law in December 2015, requires agencies to take resiliency into consideration during transportation planning processes. Following passage of the FAST Act, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration updated the metropolitan and statewide transportation planning regulations to reflect these new requirements. The transportation planning rule includes: \u2022 A new planning factor for states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to consider and implement: improving the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system (23 CFR 450.206(a)(9) and 23 CFR 450.306(b)(9)). \u2022 A recommendation for MPOs to consult with agencies and officials responsible for natural disaster risk reduction when developing a metropolitan transportation plan and the transportation improvement program (23 CFR 450.316(b)). \u2022 A requirement that the metropolitan transportation plan assess capital investment and other strategies that reduce the vulnerability of the existing transportation infrastructure to natural disasters (23 CFR 450.324(g)(7))99