HDOT Climate Resilience Action Plan | May 2021

AMEND INTERNAL MANUALS TO STREAMLINE PRO- CEDURES RELATED TO DEVELOPING ADAPTIVE PROJECT DESIGNS AND OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES HDOT’s Project Development Manual includes procedures related to project development, including design, advertising, and awarding construction contracts, that require more information to help HDOT managers, planners, engineers, and consultants consider climate change. HDOT will review the manual relative to national design guidance for the types of climate-related hazards facing Hawai‘i. Existing guidance includes AASHTO’s guide specifications on drainage (AASHTO 2014), coastal bridges (AASHTO 2008), and flooding (FHWA 2016), the anticipated AASHTO guide specifications on tsunamis, and FHWA’s Hydraulic Engineering Circular (HEC)-17 (FHWA 2016) on hydraulic design standards and HEC-25 (FHWA 2014) on coastal project design. Several studies have been prepared for the State that also provide important input into design decisions (Tetra Tech 2017). In addition to the project development guidance, HDOT will examine how the Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) can be linked to the changing environmental conditions relating to climate change and thus reflect the need for more adaptive design processes. Given that HDOT roads are interconnected with county roads, such guidance will also ensure that different agencies design to the same criteria. Such interjurisdictional interaction will require additional interagency coordination. Program guidance and policies will also be established for what types of projects are candidates for climate adaptation considerations. Rating of Implementation Effort: Medium

CONDUCT A PILOT STUDY ON THE USE OF AN ADAPTIVE DESIGN PROCESS Several states and the FHWA conduct pilot studies to show how new analysis/design approaches, use of data, and design strategies considered can be integrated into an agency’s standard procedures (Colorado DOT 2017). HDOT will identify a project where such a pilot study can be conducted. The pilot study should focus on evolving adaptive design practices such as that represented by ADAP, and the use of design guidance from the FHWA, such as HEC-17 and HEC-25. The results of the pilot study can then inform the adoption of an adaptive design process for projects that are at risk of climate-related hazards. Rating of Implementation Effort: Medium PLANNING/PROGRAMMING DEVELOP OR AMEND PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESSES, AS THEY REFLECT CHANGING FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS HDOT will evaluate current programmatic agreements, identify and establish new goals as related to climate change, and revise the current agreements to better address climate change. HDOT activities that can benefit from programmatic agreements range from large-scale corridor planning studies with many unknown variables, to smaller site-specific actions that have elements often repeated in other projects (e.g., bridge replacement and road rehabilitation). Establishing clear programmatic agreements or further streamlining and making the existing review processes consistent for the following permits and approvals will become increasingly important as the agency implements climate adaptation and system resilience projects: ⊲ Clean Water Act permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Hawai‘i Department of Health on the use of pre-approved best management practices to protect in-stream water quality ⊲ The environmental impact rules were amended in 2019 to include future SLR projections in the adverse effects assessment. HDOT will comply with the State guidelines and any changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or related regulations. ⊲ Floodplain certifications from the Department of Land and Natural Resources on project impacts involving shoreline changes resulting from sea level rise ⊲ Special management area permits, shoreline setback variances, and shoreline certifications with local county governments ⊲ Historic Properties reviews and consultations with the State Historic Preservation Officer under the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 and the State Historic Preservation Division under Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 6E ⊲ Protected Species/Endangered Species Act Section 7/ Essential Fish Habitat coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service

Landslide damage | Pali Highway | 2020

20 HAWAI I HIGHWAYS C L I MAT E ADAP TAT I ON ACT I ON P L AN