Abstract

Transportation infrastructure and operations in Florida’s Hillsborough County have been severely impacted by extreme weather events in recent years. These impacts have resulted in damage to and deterioration of transportation infrastructure, cutting off access to critical facilities and creating significant disruptions to the movement of people and goods and ultimately the local economy. The project team therefore assessed its surface transportation vulnerabilities to sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding. This evaluation helped the team understand these risk factors and consider mitigation measures as a part of the regular road repair and replacement cycle in order to more efficiently use limited resources.

Scope

The assessment evaluates and identifies the economic impact of sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding to the surface transportation system in Hillsborough County. The assessment included multimodal transportation assets countywide, with more focused analysis on critical assets (including segments of several major highways, expressways, and streets) along the coast in Hillsborough County. The Hillsborough MPO and City/County Planning Commission partnered with the Florida DOT, the County Public Works Department, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) for this pilot. The project leverages insights and expertise from these partners, as well as the Hillsborough County Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group (LMS_WG), which served in an advisory role throughout the project.

Objectives

• Identify cost-effective strategies to mitigate and manage the risks of coastal and inland inundation for incorporation into:
  • the Hillsborough County MPO’s 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP),
  • the County’s Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan (PDRP), and
  • other transportation planning and decision-making processes.