HDOT Climate Resilience Action Plan | May 2021

Table C-1: Survey Ranking of Important Factors Influencing Transportation in the Future, State DOTs, 2019

# of Most Important or Important Votes

Factor

Rank1

Increasing public/policy focus on transportation as related to livability and community quality (e.g., increasing importance of Active Transportation, including pedestrianization, bicycle and scooter accommodation, and micro transit) Changes in transportation technologies (e.g., vehicle types, networks, communications, automated/connected, etc.) 4.3 Increasing concern for changing environmental conditions and impacts, including climate change 4.2 4.4

31

34

32

Mobility needs of those underserved by effective transportation

4.2

31

Evolving socioeconomic trends and development/land use patterns and their impact on travel 4.1

30

Changing demographic characteristics/lifestyles of the population

4.0

27

Changes in personal communication technologies (e.g., internet-based interpersonal communications, mobile phone technologies, etc.). Changes in data collection/analysis technologies 3.9

29

New forms of financing/funding transportation systems

3.8

24

Increasing focus on economic development/new economic entities

3.7

24

Changing roles of public agencies and private firms (e.g., public/private partnerships) and increasing policy emphasis on performance and cost effectiveness

3.4

17

Security/system disruption risks

3.4

17

Global economic competition as related to transportation costs and economic development

3.3

13

Total of 37 responses 1 (least important) to 5 (most important) Source: Survey conducted for NCHRP Project 8-125, Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners C.5 ILLUSTRATIVE STATE DOT STRUCTURES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL UNITS The case examples below highlight how environmental offices provide a range of capabilities to state DOTs. In some cases, a state DOT has placed the lead role for climate adaptation studies in an environmental unit, while others have put the monitoring of environmental permit compliance in the unit as well. The specific responsibilities will depend on how an environmental unit fits into the overall policy and technical practices of an agency. However, as noted earlier, the success of an environmental unit in the larger departmental context will largely depend on how it links to, and is integrated with, other project development processes in the agency. The four states highlighted below were selected based on two criteria that were considered best suited for the HDOT context: 1) national reputation for being a leader in the consideration of environmental factors in decision

( C-4 ) HAWAI ‘ I HIGHWAYS | CLIMATE ADAPTATION ACTION PLAN