Paving the Way for Resilient Roads - SAR-CLIMATE

Paving the Way for Resilient Roads: the Secret Lies in Proper Planning

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A road section in Nepal left untreated due to insufficient risk-based planning (Photo by Nurul Alam)

Climate-resilient transport infrastructure is considered the backbone of livable and productive cities and rural communities. Paved and rural roads in South Asia are necessary for access to essential goods and services, such as jobs, education, health, food, and markets.

According to the World Bank Group’s South Asia Climate Roadmap, an additional 20 percent monsoon rainfall is predicted for the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna (GBM) basin by 2050, suggesting more severe inland flooding that will damage roads, impair accessibility, and result in disproportionately high costs to bring them back to service.

This article explores the necessary steps for road and transport authorities to incorporate climate-resilience related data and decisions into their road planning to protect the transport sector.

A blueprint for climate resilient roads

Planning is the most critical phase of the project cycle to ensure that climate risk information is integrated into road and bridge developments. Examples include project identification and preparations for a feasibility study.

At this stage, authorities assess not only the climate-related hazards to which the infrastructure will be exposed to, but also the project’s potential environmental impacts on surrounding areas.

Planning helps ensure that appropriate risk-reduction measures are included in the project’s scope, layout, major components, and cost estimate.

If climate considerations are not incorporated into the planning stage, then it is unlikely that they will be adopted later.

The key entry points for climate scopes are the initial planning stages of the development cycle such as programming, identification, and appraisal.

If authorities attempt to incorporate climate risk reduction solutions after these stages and after the budget has already been set, then it will not be sufficient to meet demands.

Contrary to popular perceptions, the consideration of climate-induced hazards and risks at an early planning stage actually leads to cost savings.

For example, by conducting a careful assessment of landslide hazards in a mountainous area, project planners will be able to identify and avoid high-risk areas when working on the preferred alignment of a new road, thereby avoiding the expensive slope stabilization procedures that otherwise won’t be identified until geotechnical investigations are carried out during the detailed design stage.

Similarly, informed consideration of the impacts of floods on roads may lead to economical and safer solutions. Adjusting standard operating procedures (SOPs) to allow for this may require changing the budgeting process through climate-resilient policies and strategies — initially to provide the necessary budget allocations for surveys and investigations during the planning phase and supplementary investigations required during the detailed design stage.

If climate considerations are not incorporated into the planning stage, then it is unlikely that they will be adopted later.

How authorities should start:

Research is key in the first component – detailed studies of climate information, climate maps and transport exposure and vulnerability data will help formulate a strategic and resilient road plan

Next, use a decision support system (DSS), which hosts a comprehensive database of past climate data and future projection scenarios to fortify the plan. It will help determine how sensitive the project is to climate change impacts over a specific period.

Moving onto the second component creates a series of options for further action. Conducting detailed risk assessments will model and map various climate-induced hazard risks to support appropriate road policy formulation and spatial planning.

DSS and hazard-risk information will collectively help the implementing agencies take decisions on whether they can proceed with any road development project with the typical procedure or they may need to conduct a detailed investigation (climate risk assessment) to explore adaptation options, appraise the options and include those in the project budget.

If acceptable risks are higher, then it is suggested to decide on the most prioritized sections and explore possible adaptation and resilience options before going into the project proposal. But if hazards are low, then authorities can consider minimal interventions and move straight to the detailed project proposal.

Proper strategic action plans are required to address all these issues in the stakeholder level. Finally, capacity building of the stakeholders is the major driving force to enable them to take climate risk informed decisions.

Strategic framework for resilient road development planning (Figure by ADPC).

The writer is Resilient Infrastructure Specialist at ADPC and can be reached at: nurul.alam@adpc.net

About Post Author

zandre

zandre.vanstraten@adpc.net
http://www.adpc.net
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