HDOT Climate Resilience Action Plan | May 2021

Some of the questions facing HDOT, just relating to sea level rise alone, include the following: ⊲ Do we continue to maintain roadways near the shoreline where damage continues to occur? ⊲ Do we armor the shoreline to protect roadways, recognizing that this will likely cause loss of adjacent beaches? ⊲ How do we create more resilient infrastructure recognizing that such decisions could expand the footprint of the facilities and increase the impact on sensitive environmental and cultural features? ⊲ In areas where assets are most at risk: • Do we relocate them given existing development, natural areas, and sensitive cultural areas that have occurred based on the existence of these assets? • Do we continue to maintain, or how long do we maintain, transportation facilities in areas where communities are facing threats from long-term sea level rise? • Are there other types of non-highway adaptation strategies that could be considered? ⊲ How should transportation services and highway accessibility be provided in support of development decisions that are made considering long-term climate change impacts? This list of example concerns is not comprehensive for shoreline concerns nor does it extend to the increasing risks from other climate change threats outlined in this Action Plan. These questions simply highlight the many challenges facing infrastructure agencies throughout Hawai‘i. HDOT’s vision is to develop and maintain a viable and resilient ground highway system for Hawai‘i. The decisions relating to this vision cannot be made without effective partnerships with many others. Figure 7 shows conceptually how partnerships among various agencies and organizations in Hawai‘i can work to ensure a more resilient future. The figure is not comprehensive nor prescriptive for the institutional relationships that will lead to success. It does suggest, however, that HDOT’s success in climate adaptation depends on such coordination and collaboration. As a steward of the State Highway network, HDOT recognizes this is the way forward and accepts its role. Recommendations relating to partnerships and strengthening institutional relationships are provided in the following Section 3, Implementation Plan.

collaborative and coordinated partnerships will be necessary for creating a resilient Hawai‘i. One way to highlight how changing climate conditions will require effective partnerships is to envision a Hawai‘i with sea levels that are much higher than today. Certainly, many of HDOT’s roads will be impacted, but so too will many other community assets. For example, residential or commercial buildings might need to be elevated or moved to higher ground, and communities might need to find ways to accommodate existing and future community resources within more land constraints. It should be noted that on September 15, 2020, the Legislature passed HB2486 HD2 SD2, an Act that gives the State Office of Planning the responsibility to coordinate State climate change efforts with attention to sea level rise. To be an effective partner with the Office of Planning, HDOT will need to have the organizational capabilities to understand the implications of climate change on the State’s highway system. The Office of Planning will clearly be an important partner in implementing HDOT’s climate change strategy. In addition, HDOT collaboration with utility companies, the Transportation Environmental Resource Council (TERC), and other State and county partners will be an important factor for success. The TERC – as an assembled body of county, state and federal agencies in Hawaii that discuss state transportation decisions and environmental considerations – will be a good avenue to work collaboratively towards implementation. In addition, the State’s Climate Commission has a mandate to provide an overarching and interdepartmental collaboration role among State agencies and local governments. As noted in the Commission’s enabling statute, HRS 225P-3, the Commission “shall establish climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and goals to help guide planning and implementation statewide using the latest scientific analysis and risk assessment to monitor and forecast climate change related impacts at the regional, state, and local level, including any additional information deemed necessary.” As a member of the Commission, HDOT will work collaboratively on efforts to make sure its efforts and those of others are coordinated and targeted at meeting the goal of a more resilient transportation system and of more resilient communities. As Hawai‘i grows over the coming decades it seems likely that this growth will have to be accommodated in sustainable and resilient ways. Hundreds, if not thousands, of assets are close to the shoreline that might be impacted by rising sea levels. The public and private agreements that led to much of this development might need to be revisited, and certainly new development decisions should follow a different framework for decision-making―one that recognizes the risks of a very different future.

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