Climate Resilience Services | HNTB

Climate Resilience Services

Climate Resilient Transportation

The increasing frequency of extreme climate events is causing the transportation sector to reevaluate the way infrastructure solutions are designed and delivered. At HNTB, we partner with our clients to incorporate climate resilience into their capital programs with a deliberate focus on collaborative and inclusive planning, design and implementation. We seamlessly integrate our focus on climate resiliency into holistic infrastructure solutions to support your climate preparedness and response needs.

Recovery Services

HNTB’s Services

Climate Vulnerability Assessment

Grant

Support Services

Digital Infrastructure Solutions

Climate

Resilient Design

Nature-Based Solutions

Defining What We Do

Climate Vulnerability Assessment

The process of identifying and analyzing the potential risks and impacts of climate change on transportation infrastructure services. The assessment considers factors such as changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level rise, extreme weather events and other climate related impacts that can affect transportation systems.

Identifying assets at risk, collecting climate data and projections, identifying vulnerability, assessing risk and consequences, developing adaptation strategies and prioritizing actions.

This includes program management, adaptation planning, resilient design, risk assessment, asset management, public engagement and involvement, climate communications, and regulatory, policy and grant services.

Climate Resilient Design

Designing and implementing transportation infrastructure that can withstand and adapt to the impacts of climate change. This involves considering climate patterns such as increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, sea level rise, precipitation patterns and designing infrastructure that can withstand these impacts and maintain functionality.

Incorporating climate projections into design, using adaptive design, enhancing resilience through maintenance and operations and applying nature-based solutions.

This includes program management, engineering, hydrologic/hydraulic modeling, stormwater engineering, planning, risk assessment, asset management, systems operations, regulatory services and Envision.

Nature-Based Solutions

The use of natural systems, processes and materials to address challenges related to transportation infrastructure and mobility. These solutions seek to integrate natural systems and processes into transportation planning and design, to create more sustainable and resilient transportation systems.

Green infrastructure, sustainable transportation modes (walking, bicycle, public transit), sediment diversion, wetland construction and ecosystembased planning.

This includes landscape architecture, ecological science, policy and regulatory services, stormwater engineering and urban planning.

Grant Support Services

Assistance provided to transportation agencies, organizations and communities to secure funding and grants for projects related to climate resilience and adaptation.

Grant identification and research, grant application and development, grant management and reporting, capacity building and training, and stakeholder engagement.

This includes program management, policy and regulatory services and transportation system operations.

Digital Infrastructure Solutions

Software applications and platforms that provide data-driven insights and decision-making capabilities to improve the planning, design, construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure. These tools and solutions are customized to meet the unique needs of transportation agencies, engineers and other stakeholders.

Geographic information systems (GIS), Building Information Modeling (BIM), asset management systems, predictive analytics and mobile applications.

This includes adaptation planning, policy and regulatory services and data management and modeling.

Recovery Services

The process and activities that are carried out following extreme weather events and climate related disasters to recover and restore communities and transportation infrastructure.

Damage assessments, emergency repairs, recovery planning, temporary transportation solutions, long-term recovery and risk reduction measures.

This includes policy, grant administration, program management, engineering and systems operations services.

Demonstrating Success

HNTB has been partnering with public and private sector clients who are seeking to increase the resilience of their systems and protect against ever-changing extreme weather events for more than two decades. Through careful assessment and analysis, we provide our clients with guidance and solutions to build resilience into their capital programs, reducing costs and minimizing impacts down the road.

Integrating Climate Actions Into MTA Capital Programs

New York

As the nation’s largest transit system, supporting more than 5 million transit riders in 2019, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) system is uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. To prepare for these impacts, the MTA tasked HNTB to develop a robust systemwide climate resilience and sustainability program. Climate resilience tasks assigned under this contract include development of:

• A system-wide vulnerability assessment

• A customized GIS-based decision-support tool for climate vulnerability program planning

• A multi-criteria framework to inform the MTA’s ongoing 20-year Capital Planning and Needs Assessment Program

HNTB developed a unique vulnerability assessment scoring methodology to accommodate the significant number of assets evaluated during this process. Similarly, a unique multi-criteria framework was intentionally created to establish a flexible climate

resilience program at the MTA. This flexibility allows climate resilience staff at the MTA to incrementally populate asset data across all system agencies and update climate vulnerability rankings as new climate data emerges.

HNTB’s work for the MTA as it develops its 20year needs assessment seeks to introduce climate vulnerability and adaptation into its capital decisionmaking framework. HNTB’s role is to identify those components of the system that are most exposed to and threatened by the effects of extreme storms and weather conditions. This information will be used to prioritize and develop short-term and longterm capital spending programs, balancing the agency’s many needs with its goals to make the transit network more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

As a compendium piece, HNTB also is developing a similar program to integrate environmental sustainability, particularly projects that reduce the MTA’s carbon footprint) into the capital plan.

Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Bay Area Rapid Transit — Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment

California

It is essential for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to be prepared for the potentially catastrophic effects of sea level rise and climate change on the region. BART’s decision to conduct a study to better understand the effects of sea level rise and coastal storm surge led to a comprehensive vulnerability assessment and adaptation solutions at six of the most vulnerable points in the BART system. Evaluating sea level rise scenarios for the years 2050 and 2100, HNTB led the study team through site assessments, preparing the final report and recommending actionable items BART can implement over time. HNTB developed a multi-criteria framework to examine adaptation options for factors that include benefit-cost analysis, constructability,

operational factors and opportunities for effective implementation. HNTB also provided structural assessment and disaster recovery expertise, informed by our work after Hurricane Sandy in New York/ New Jersey. Our team also facilitated discussions between BART and various local and regional stakeholders on current and future adaptation strategies throughout the Bay Area. Adaptation solutions were developed through a combination of stakeholder engagement and transit system technical analysis. Final reports included public facing documents to support policy development and community education as well as technical documentation to support engineering design considerations.

Cape Cod Canal Area Transportation Program Management and Project Development Services

Massachusetts

HNTB is providing program management services for the Cape Cod Canal Area Transportation Improvement Program. This regional program includes the replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges and improvements to the approach roadway networks. These updates address the multimodal deficiencies within the Cape Cod Canal area that were identified as part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) Cape Cod Canal Transportation Study and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cape Cod Canal Bridges Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Study. HNTB’s scope of services includes program management, data collection, conceptual design, environmental planning and public engagement. HNTB also supports the extensive state and federal agency coordination that is required as part of program development. Climate resilience tasks on this project require substantial sea level rise analysis to inform bridge design and maintenance of navigational operational clearance to accommodate ship passage through the Cape Cod Canal. HNTB also is preparing permitting

documents with Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act and National Environmental Policy Act, with a significant emphasis on climate impacts related to coastal flooding, inland and urban riverine flooding and extreme heat. Site-specific modeling is being developed for inland and coastal storm flood impacts using Resilience Massachusetts Action Team climate resilience design standards. All outreach communications and information are being managed through HNTB’s Public Involvement Management Application (PIMA). This centralized outreach management system allows the program team to effectively streamline stakeholder communications, collect and respond to public comments, measure public sentiment and easily export comment and stakeholder information for environmental documentation purposes. This first phase of the program includes five rounds of public outreach, which will help inform the development of design alternatives and environmental documentation process.

Central Industrial District (CID) Green Infrastructure

Kansas City, Missouri

This inland flood resiliency project is located in one of the city’s oldest areas, the CID, more commonly known as the West Bottoms. A combination of nature-based solutions and green infrastructure are applied at three unique sites, reducing the amount of stormwater that enters the combined sewer system that ultimately discharges to the Missouri River. This project reduces flooding in the CID and improves water quality in the Missouri River. HNTB provided multiple solutions and innovations, including bio-retention basins, gravel infiltration basins, SilvaCell tree planters, a permeable paver system interconnected with a dry-well infiltration system and dual maintenance and bike/pedestrian trails. Approximately 338 trees, 1,104 shrubs, 316 grasses, 7,063 forbs and three acres of native seeding were placed to enhance the form and function of the facility. Stormwater modeling capturing more than 41 acres of

impervious area included sewer separation and private downspout disconnections.

This variety of solutions is bringing long-lasting value to the community beyond flood mitigation, including improved pedestrian access; flexible, multiuse event and art space; eight acres of public green space; and increased economic activity. HNTB applied Envision principles as we worked with numerous stakeholders to expose the community, including students from area schools, to the project through on-site tours. Overall, the project provides the CID with a successful green infrastructure solution that not only meets the project goals to reduce overflows of the downstream combined sewer system, but also provides aesthetic, social and economic enhancements to the community.

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Coastal Resilience Projects, Program Management/Construction Management Services

New York City

HNTB is currently serving as program manager and construction manager for the New York City Department of Design and Construction and New York City Economic Development Corporation

Coastal Resiliency Projects citywide. The first task order, East Side Coastal Resiliency, will raise a portion of East River Park and install aboveand below-ground flood protection measures to enhance the resilience of 2.4 miles of urban coastline and protect lower Manhattan from rising sea levels and storm surges. Through green infrastructure measures and nature-based solutions, the project improves the amenities of and accessibility to East River Park and several local parks and playgrounds.

HNTB developed a construction phasing plan to allow for approximately half of the total space within the project to always remain open,

maintaining important community features such as access to the waterfront. This complex construction phase model provides robust planning analysis, supporting overnight lane closures and allowing for the installation of flood gates and three new pedestrian bridges over FDR Drive.

To support equitable project outcomes, HNTB developed an extensive multiyear public engagement plan using HNTB’s Public Involvement Management Application. This modern approach to engagement streamlines processes and enables the team to analyze and adjust levels of outreach based on data, understand root causes of public concern and improve the ease of collecting and managing public input.

MTA Wind Study Elevated Structure System

New York, New York

Following a study HNTB performed of wind on live load and an update of operating criteria for the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, HNTB was tasked with developing operational recommendations under high wind environments. This work was completed under two separate phases, culminating in three separate reports. These operational recommendations cover three essential components of the transit system: i) passengers and transit personnel, ii) rolling stock and iii) infrastructure (elevated line structures, stations, canopies, etc.)

The New York City Transit system performance during the two most recent major hurricanes (Irene and Sandy) has been exemplary. This was in large part due to the robust procedures that are in place as part of hurricane planning for full system

shutdown to reduce overall risk to the system. With the advent of robust meteorological forecasts, hurricanes and nor’easters are events that allow for advanced planning at the system-wide scale to mitigate operational impacts. In contrast, fast moving localized storms, such as tornadoes, thunderstorms or microbursts represent an entirely separate set of operational challenges, whereby localized service restrictions may be beneficial during a brief period of high winds to reduce operational risk. A major accomplishment of this work has been the development of the Weather Research and Forecast model that integrates meteorological data from regional weather stations to allow for more detailed assessments of climate anywhere along NYCT’s elevated system.

SANDAG Military Resilience — Phases I and II

San Diego, California

HNTB was selected for Phase I and II of a Military Installation Resilience project, a collaboration between San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the Navy Region Southwest (Navy). This project aims to develop strategies to minimize potential impacts of climate change to Naval operations from projected sea level rise. Phase I project activities involved a robust stakeholder engagement process with the Navy, Caltrans, the airport, Port and Transit Agencies across San Diego to understand project goals and barriers to implementation, critical to Navy Mission readiness. Phase I project outcomes led to the development of a vulnerability assessment methodology that would support the prioritization of adaptation project

phasing from current day through the year 2100. A suite of adaptation solutions was developed following a vulnerability assessment process. Vulnerability assessment of the area revealed the importance of nature-based solutions and green infrastructure as short-term adaptations while longer-term solutions require hard infrastructure solutions.

To support future climate resilience planning across the association of governments and the Navy, HNTB developed an interactive online GIS decision support platform to inventory current and future data and facilitate future stakeholder coordination and monitoring for climate adaptation strategies in the region.

KC Levees Flood Risk Management

Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri

The KC Levees Flood Risk Management project provides flood risk reduction to the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas. HNTB participated in a preliminary reconnaissance study for this project, which led to additional planning studies and flood resilience design engineering. Climate resilient design engineering and technical support included value engineering, independent technical review, levee investigations and inspections, and a draft floodplain management plan. HNTB’s draft floodplain management plan included the following elements: loss of life reduction, injuries, damages to property and facilities, public expenditures and other adverse impacts associated with flooding, historic preservation and enhancement of natural floodplain values.

The project evolved into an improvement analysis for certain focus areas within the protection systems, applying key elements of criticality, risk and uncertainty. Additionally, HNTB conducted plan review and field inspections, created plan inspection reports and made compliance recommendations using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District LIS tool on all seven levees within the KC Levees protection system. The HNTB Team also provided plans, calculations, specifications, DDR, an O&M manual, quantities, design memorandums, survey and boring data, HTRW and cost validation reports, comment resolution and quality control plans to support project initiatives. HNTB also was trusted to assist with USACE project management duties throughout the project planning phase.

LaGuardia Airport Flood Control and Resiliency Improvements Program — Superstorm Sandy

Borough of Queens, New York City

LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is a critical aviation facility serving the New York region. Impacts on LGA following Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 caused significant airport operations delays and widespread economic impacts to the region. To address the flood vulnerability at LGA, HNTB supported the airport owner and operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), with multiple tasks: securing a FEMA-funded grant to conduct a preliminary design report; performing a benefit cost analysis (BCA); preparing final contract documents and supporting the bidding and awarding for the contracts; and providing construction design support services for four different climate resilience flood mitigation projects.

HNTB was selected as the engineer/architect of record in March 2014 with all four projects

completed in 2020. Climate resilient design features provide important systems operations improvements. Flood projection at the existing west field lighting vault is a critical asset providing lighting for half of the airport’s runways. Flood projection for existing west end substations supplies other electrical power to the airport. Rehabilitation of supervisory control and data acquisition systems at various substations provides important electrical distribution and emergency power system redundancy. Five emergency generators also were established to improve operations activities at the airport so that the post-event recovery period is shortened. Emergency generators were installed on platforms above projected flood elevations.

Washington State DOT Fish Passage Program

Washington

Climate resilience, sustainability and environmental stewardship is at the heart of a Washington State Department of Transportation program to correct fish barriers at hundreds of locations throughout the Pacific Northwest.

WSDOT’s Fish Passage Program improves fish passage, reconnects streams and restores fish habitat to maintain a healthy waterway ecosystem. Driven by the agency’s commitment to environmental stewardship, WSDOT’s fish passage program has already completed more than 300 projects and restored an estimated 1,170 miles of habitat across the state. These nature-based solutions are leveraging the environment to make the region more resilient to impacts of climate change.

WSDOT, Northwest Region awarded HNTB a general engineering contract in 2019. In this role, HNTB serves as WSDOT’s owner representative for improvements in King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. HNTB Team members — comprising geomorphologists, stream design and environmental engineers, project

and procurement managers, roadway and structural engineers, and utility engineers provide a wide range of planning, environmental and engineering services. This work includes:

• Developing and managing preliminary and final hydraulic designs for stream restoration

• Supporting environmental compliance and permitting for barrier replacement projects

• Providing conceptual engineering and designbuild procurement

• Providing final engineering design for construction of upgrades to culverts and/or new bridges

HNTB’s team also fills numerous critical staff augmentation positions for WSDOT’s Northwest Region. We work alongside our WSDOT colleagues on permitting strategies, environmental compliance and coordination with tribal partners.

Tres Rios Ecosystem Restoration and Flood Control Project

Phoenix, Arizona

The $25M Tres Rios Ecosystem Restoration Project provided wetland restoration and creation with flood mitigation while simultaneously creating vast recreational areas along Phoenix area rivers. The use of nature-based solutions to promote climate resilience provides substantial opportunity to leverage the natural environment and provide societal benefit. HNTB provided planning and design on 650 acres of habitat with more than 25,000 native plantings and many tons of native seed along a 3-mile section of the Salt, Gila and Agua Fria Rivers in southwestern Phoenix. This project created 100 acres of new, open-water reaches along with 20 acres of marshland and 200 acres of improved riparian habitat. To support this complex restoration design, HNTB experts developed a 3D design contoured to the terrain,

a process that took into consideration how the work would affect the open-water plain and supported a design that reduces the potential 100-year floodwater level along the rivers. HNTB’s plan also included comprehensive watershed evaluation for reduction of flood damages to adjacent and surrounding residential and agricultural community as well as maximization of environmental education and passive recreation opportunities incidental through restoration. The project was recognized with several awards, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2012 Chief of Engineers Award of Excellence and the Design-Build Institute of America’s 2013 Design Excellence Citation & Merit Awards.

FTA Funded Superstorm Sandy Resilience Program

New Jersey

The severity of impacts following Hurricane Superstorm Sandy required robust program management solutions across the NJ Transit (NJT) system. HNTB provided program management services, overseeing 13 programs, 10 consultants and Federal Transit Administration resiliency program funding for a total of more than 50 individual contracts. A key subtask of this assignment was the flood vulnerability analysis at 59 of NJT’s critical facilities, including rail yards, terminals, train storage locations, traction power substations, switching substations, moveable bridges and passenger stations across the NJT system footprint. Initially, HNTB verified and mapped the extent and depth of the flooding that was experienced at the facilities in question, including:

• The magnitude of flooding that FEMA thought possible prior to Superstorm Sandy (pre-storm regulatory information)

• The extent of actual or interpolated (modeled) storm flooding

• FEMA’s post-storm revisions to its official flood hazard contours regarding future flood risk for the location

HNTB leveraged official FEMA and United States Geological Survey (USGS) data sources for Superstorm Sandy and prior storms that were readily available in the public domain over the internet. These data sources included:

• Advisory Base Flood Elevations maps — produced by FEMA

• Observed high-water elevations for Superstorm Sandy from the USGS and FEMA

• Google Earth

• Geo-coordinated data for each asset provided by NJT

• Flood Insurance Rate Maps

Texas General Land Office

Texas

Hurricanes Dolly and Ike spun across southern and eastern Texas less than two months apart in mid-2008, causing $30 billion in damage across 62,000-square miles and affecting more than 45 percent of the state’s population. Sixty-two counties took hits to their water and electrical systems, roads and public walkways, drainage projects, wastewater facilities and other infrastructure.

In late 2008, HNTB was hired to conduct a scoping and estimating project in the 29 counties hardest hit by Hurricane Ike, the largest storm in modern history to strike the Lone Star State. The effort identified 2,751 projects that needed repair.

Managing the Disaster

As the program management consultant for the infrastructure portion of Texas’ disaster recovery effort after Hurricanes Ike and Dolly, HNTB is managing a massive program of public infrastructure work.

TOTAL ALLOCATIONS:

$1.4 Billion TOTAL SITES: 5,223 TOTAL GRANT RECIPIENTS: 272 SMALLEST PROJECT: $30,000 LARGEST PROJECT: $60 Million COUNTIES AFFECTED: 62

HURRICANES IKE & DOLLY DISASTER RECOVERY PROGRAM

DEEP EAST TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

Allocations: $162,424,843

Sites: 876

Grant Recipients: 92

HOUSTON-GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL

Allocations: $753,468,806

Sites: 2826

Grant Recipients: 89

SOUTHEAST TEXAS REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Allocations: $222,387,946

Sites: 968

Grant Recipients: 27

LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

Allocations: $123,444,229

Sites: 553

Grant Recipients: 64