Abstract Manager

Climate change is a pressing concern impacting transportation infrastructure in numerous ways. Extreme weather conditions, coastal erosion, rising sea levels, changes in precipitation and temperature patterns, wildfires, and landslides are some of the devastating effects already being observed. These effects can cause damage or disruption to vital transportation assets, including roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, ports, airports, and transit systems, putting safety, reliability, and sustainability at risk. With extreme weather events increasing in frequency, intensity and duration, our populations, natural resources like water and food, and critical infrastructure's structural integrity are all in danger. This is especially concerning for aged, long-living assets. We must take immediate action to address these challenges and ensure the safety and sustainability of our transportation systems for future generations.

Transportation authorities must double down in the assessment of the vulnerability and risk of their infrastructure to climate change and implement adaptation measures that can enhance their resilience. 

Achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and creating future-proof infrastructure requires an unprecedented and swift transformation worldwide. According to UNOPS, infrastructure is responsible for 79% of total greenhouse gas emissions and 88% of all adaptation costs. Infrastructure professionals are experiencing a significant challenge in guaranteeing that our infrastructure is climate-proofed on an unprecedented scale and pace. These professionals face various obstacles such as capacity shortages, complex supply chains, diverse teams, solutions, data formats, and the fact that assets are long-living and aging. At this moment, it is essential to redefine the fundamental concept of infrastructure and embrace a new paradigm known as infrastructure intelligence. This approach allows us to reimagine what is possible and how we can harness the transformative power of technology for sustainable development. To assess transportation infrastructure's resilience to climate change, frameworks and tools such as the PIEVC Protocol and RIED framework can be used to identify cost-effective adaptation options.

Learn how digital twins, AI, IoT, and computational modeling improve asset management, climate adaptation, and infrastructure intelligence for owner-operators and professionals.