BACKGROUND

Extreme weather can cause severe disruptions to mobility and safety. For example, access to shelter and life-saving resources and services, such as health care, food, jobs, school, civic activities, and social engagements, can be severed or diminished. 

 While state departments of transportation (DOTs) are required through transportation planning processes to conduct risk analyses to improve the durability and longevity of investments, only some states have tailored their plans and programs to address the mobility and safety of people affected by extreme weather. Research is needed to support the development of plans, programs, and investments to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather and improve mobility and safety of affected people. 

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop a resource for transportation and planning agencies to better address the mobility and safety of people affected by extreme weather in agency plans, programs, and investments.

 TASKS

Task 1—Amplified Research Plan and Kickoff Meeting

The first project deliverable is the Amplified Research Plan (ARP) which should be submitted by the research team within 15 business days after the contract is signed and should address the comments in the Proposal Review Summary in a manner that makes all changes from the proposal visible and easy to find.  The panel will review and must approve the ARP.

The research team should prepare kick-off meeting materials for review by the panel and then participate in a web-based teleconference kick-off meeting with the NCHRP panel.  This meeting will serve to confirm the project objectives, research statement, and proposed research approach presented in the ARP.  The kick-off meeting should also address initial Literature Review findings and State of the Practice (Task 2) and the development of the case studies in (Task 3).

Task 2—Literature and State of Practice Review

The objective of this proposed literature and state of practice review is to compile and present research findings, and other information pertaining to a range of topics that interface with impacts of extreme weather on mobility of affected people. These topics include, at a minimum, items that have been identified in the RFP.  The research team should conduct a literature review and a state of practice review simultaneously as a first-cut scan of understanding not just the work that has been done on these topics, but also the assessment of the landscape to highlight capabilities and gaps in the practice currently. A concise summary of literature and best practice review should be incorporated into the interim and final reports.

Task 3—Case Studies

The objective of this task is to compile successful practices  currently used by transportation and planning agencies in resilience planning that focus on improving the mobility and safety of people affected by extreme weather, so that they can be used as case studies and models for replication as part of this research effort. The research team should conduct a minimum of five (5) case studies that provide positive examples that other states and communities may wish to replicate. The case study practices should inspire practitioners who will be looking for practical, replicable approaches that have evolved beyond conceptual stages to be implemented at their agencies. Some of the practices may become examples in the final deliverable for developing plans, programs, and investments for user reference and potential replication. The research team should provide a summary of these case studies, lessons learned, and implementation best practices in the interim and final reports.

Task 4— Resilience Planning Framework for Improving Mobility and Safety of All Users

The objective of this task is to develop a framework for improving mobility and safety of people affected by extreme weather. The purpose of this framework is to help transportation and planning agencies to apply a systematic and organized approach to support (1) the development of plans, programs, and investments for improving mobility and safety of all users of the transportation system potentially impacted by extreme weather, or (2) user-driven approaches in risk and resilience assessments, and eventually in the transportation and planning agencies’ decision-making processes (e.g., existing plans, programs, and investments). This task should consider data analysis and methods and should include appropriate stakeholder feedback.  

Task 5—Resource Handbook

The research team should develop a resource handbook for transportation and other planning agencies with easy-to-use and practical approaches to develop plans, programs, and investment strategies improving user-driven resilience outcomes.    The handbook should include resources to enable the development of plans, programs, and investments to improve the mobility and safety of people affected by extreme weather. populations. The research team should include the initial draft outline of the resource handbook in the Interim Report so that it can be discussed with the panel at the interim panel meeting and subsequently refined.

Task 6—Interim Report and Meeting with Project Panel

The research team should prepare an Interim Report that presents substantive results from the work to date. The research team should present the Interim Report to the Project Panel either virtually or in person, as specified by NCHRP.

Task 7—Pilot Testing

The intent of this pilot testing task is to assess the usability and effectiveness of the resources developed as part of the earlier tasks that culminate in the draft resource handbook. The research team should test the practicality and ease of use of the resource handbook using  agencies with varying capabilities and application contexts from across the country. The research team should conduct three pilots to review the usability and effectiveness of the resources handbook in supporting  transportation and planning agencies to develop plans, programs, and investments to improve mobility and safety of people affected by extreme weather.

Task 8—Final Deliverables

The research team should develop the following final deliverables: (1) final report documenting the entire research effort, (2) pilot testing results and final resource handbook, (3) prioritized recommendations for future research, (4) a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the project that may be used in webinars and (5) a technical memorandum of implementation of research findings and products. Following panel review of the draft final deliverables, the research team should prepare and submit point-by-point responses to the panel comments and prepare and submit the final deliverables.

STATUS

The research is underway.