Roadway infrastructure in developing countries is vulnerable to climate change impacts, including increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events. These events can cause damage to roadways, disrupt transportation, and affect the livelihoods of communities. To address this challenge, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has developed a guide for incorporating climate change adaptation into infrastructure planning and design.
The guide focuses on low-volume roadway infrastructure, which is a common type of road in developing countries. It provides engineering and non-engineering development professionals with an overview of potential climate change impacts on roadways, adaptation options, and guidance for using a risk assessment methodology to determine appropriate design measures.
Climate change impacts on roadways can be severe, including damage from extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves, dust storms, floods, and landslides. These events can cause stress on vital infrastructure, including water, sanitation, flood management, transportation, and energy systems. Developing countries, which often lack adequate resources, are particularly vulnerable to these impacts.
To address this challenge, USAID has developed a climate-resilient infrastructure methodology. This methodology involves five steps: establishing the context, vulnerability assessment, risk assessment, adaptation strategy, and implementation. The guide provides detailed guidance on each of these steps, including case studies and suggested resources.
The guide also defines key terms related to climate change adaptation, including climate change, climate change adaptation, climate change impacts, climate change variability, climate change sensitivity, and sensitivity. These terms are essential for understanding the concepts and principles of climate change adaptation.
The guide is intended to be useful for professionals considering engineering design to make roadway infrastructure more resilient in a climate-altered future. It provides a comprehensive overview of potential climate change impacts on roadways, adaptation options, and guidance for using a risk assessment methodology to determine appropriate design measures.
The focus of this document is on engineering design, but broader elements such as transportation infrastructure management are also proposed as closely associated with the optimum performance of roadway infrastructure. The guide does not focus on mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation infrastructure construction or operation.
The guide is a valuable resource for professionals working on USAID roadway infrastructure development activities. It provides a comprehensive overview of potential climate change impacts on roadways, adaptation options, and guidance for using a risk assessment methodology to determine appropriate design measures.
Climate change adaptation is a major challenge for developing countries, and it is an essential focus of USAID’s development assistance portfolio. The guide provides a comprehensive overview of potential climate change impacts on roadways, adaptation options, and guidance for using a risk assessment methodology to determine appropriate design measures.