What can road owners, DOT officials and legislators do about road resilience?

For Department of Transportation officials, road owners, legislators or any public service leader with an interest in transportation:  you already know that issues of resilience are climbing the priority list of your constituents. Some think that smarter spending means paying as little as possible to get roads built or repaired. Even smarter, though, is to build prudently now and with an expectation of long-term performance and lowest lifetime cost.

1. Take a look at how some forward-thinking DOTs across America are taking up the challenge of road resilience and longevity.

• See how some leading states are tackling the challenge. Arizona has taken the initiative to harden their transportation network. See their resilience program here.
• Washington also provides a good example regarding their use of a standard LCCA protocol when selecting road pavement designs.
• For ideas in support of urban leaders, American Infrastructure magazine provides insights on road resilience.
• Here’s how Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning articulated its thinking about the City’s transportation resilience needs.

2. Equip yourself with facts and ideas from policy experts.

• First, the Federal Highway Administration maintains section of their website related to transportation resilience. It’s worth getting to know.
• Center for Climate and Energy Solutions also shares ideas worth exploring.
• Check out, too, RAND Corporation’s research on how to incorporate resilience into long-term transportation planning for state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations.