Virginia Wins FHWA Grant To Study Weather Impacts

The Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation—a joint venture of the state transportation department and the University of Virginia—and the college’s School of Engineering and Applied Science have won a $250,000 federal grant to study potential impacts of severe weather on U.S. transportation infrastructure in coastal areas. Researchers will pilot a conceptual risk-assessment model developed by the Federal Highway Administration to identify transportation assets most at risk. The study, which will focus on Hampton Roads, Va., will offer a template for national transportation planning because of the area’s coastal setting, high-density population, military bases and industrial sites, researchers say. A U.S. Geological Survey analysis found the area to be second only to New Orleans in terms of risk from an increased frequency and intensity of coastal storms due to climate change.