Hazards brought on by climate change pose a serious threat to transportation infrastructure and the safety and quality of life of residents. The Regional Transportation Vulnerability Assessment for transportation corridors in Monterey County will focus on identifying transportation infrastructure in the coastal areas of the county that are at risk of sea level rise, coastal flooding, and erosion, create a project prioritization list, with information on adaptation strategies for the projects on that list. This vulnerability assessment will draw on existing studies done in the county and at the state level, the Caltrans District 5 Climate Change Adaptation Priorities Report to understand how these impacts will affect transportation through the county and region including but not limited to local roads and streets, railroad lines and crossings, active transportation infrastructure, and transit infrastructure. This project will include the northern region of Monterey County including Moss Landing, Elkhorn, Pajaro, Castroville, and the unincorporated regions of the northern Monterey County coastal area.

Project Goals

1. Inventory the available data sources for transportation vulnerability information, and describe the climate adaptation planning efforts and potential solutions.

2. Develop a transportation vulnerability assessment of local railways and crossings, regional and local roads not examined in existing documents and their climate change related stressors and pressures (flood, coastal erosion, and sea level rise, among others).

3. Develop adaptation strategies to improve resiliency from the identified stressors, including identifying the benefits to transportation infrastructure.

4. Prepare for implementation by identifying areas for compensatory adaptation for impacts to transportation infrastructure, and incorporate the results of the study into the plans and designs of transportation infrastructure projects to improve climate resiliency.

5. Increase the capacity for regional coordination between county agencies and jurisdictions for future climate adaptation planning and implementation efforts to improve regional climate resiliency and emergency preparedness.

Funding Source

Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program- Climate Adaptation Planning Grant.

Alissa Guther is the project manager for the Monterey County Regional Transportation Vulnerability Asessment. You can reach her at alissa@tamcmonterey.org or at (831) 775-4402.