DOT 36-08
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Contact: Paul Feenstra
Tel.: (202) 366-4792
Department of Transportation Releases Study of Potential Environmental Impacts
on Transportation Infrastructure in U.S. Central Gulf Coast
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released a study on the
potential impacts of climate changes and land subsidence, the natural sinking of
an area’s land mass, on transportation infrastructure in the U.S. Gulf Coast
region. Today’s release is phase one of a three part study.
“This study provides transportation planners in the Gulf Coast region with
valuable information that will assist them as they make decisions for the
future,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.
The Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Transportation Systems and
Infrastructure: Gulf Coast Study, Phase I, provides an assessment of the
vulnerabilities of transportation systems in the region to potential changes in
weather patterns and related impacts, as well as the effect of natural land
subsidence and other environmental factors in the region. The area examined by
the study includes 48 contiguous counties in four states, running from
Galveston, TX to Mobile, AL.
Based on 21 simulation models and a range of emissions scenarios, the study
found that potential changes in climate over the next 50 to100 years could
disrupt transportation services in the region. Twenty-seven percent of major
roads, 9 percent of rail lines, and 72 percent of area ports are at or below 4
feet in elevation, and could be vulnerable to flooding due to future sea level
rise and natural sinking of the area’s land mass. The study is designed to help
state and local officials as they develop their transportation plans and make
investment decisions. Federal transportation officials will continue to work
closely with state and local planners as they incorporate the study into their
planning processes.
Subsequent phases of the study will focus on risks and adaptation strategies
involved in planning, investment, design and operational decisions for
infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region and nationwide. The study was performed
in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and state and local researchers,
and is one of 21 “synthesis and assessment” reports produced as part of the U.S.
Climate Change Science Program.
The study is available online at
http://climate.dot.gov/publications/impact_of_climate_change/
.