Welcome to Resilient Ways Forward
An assessment of climate change and its impacts on transportation in Dutchess County
Route 44, Town of Amenia
Our Changing Climate
Our changing climate is affecting Dutchess County in many ways. Some of us already feel these impacts, whether it’s in how we heat and cool our homes, how much we pay for food, or even how we think about the future.
Our transportation system is no different. How and where we’ve built infrastructure and provided services may no longer be adequate. And while the impacts of a changing climate may not all be negative, they still require us to adjust the way we build, maintain, and think about our transportation system. These changes will present us with challenges, and if done right, opportunities to create a more resilient transportation system that minimizes disruptions to our lives and better prepares us to meet the uncertainties of a changing climate.
We can address the impacts of climate change by collecting information, educating decision makers, and advocating for changes to policies and projects. To begin this work, the Dutchess County Transportation Council is preparing a Climate Vulnerability Assessment of our transportation system.
This Climate Vulnerability Assessment, titled Resilient Ways Forward, will identify locations where our transportation system is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, extreme temperatures, and wind.
It will also recommend ways to adapt to or reduce the adverse impacts of climate change on our transportation system – which includes roads and bridges, buses and trains, sidewalks, rail trails, and other strategic transportation assets, and touches state, regional, county, and local agencies alike.
Climate Hazards to be analyzed
FLOODING
EXTREME
TEMPERATURE
WIND
WINTER CONDITIONS
DROUGHT
LANDSLIDES
This Climate Vulnerability Assessment, titled Resilient Ways Forward, will identify locations where our transportation system is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, extreme temperatures, and wind.
It will also recommend ways to adapt to or reduce the adverse impacts of climate change on our transportation system – which includes roads and bridges, buses and trains, sidewalks, rail trails, and other strategic transportation assets, and touches state, regional, county, and local agencies alike.
Climate Hazards to be analyzed
FLOODING
EXTREME
TEMPERATURE
WIND
WINTER CONDITIONS
DROUGHT
LANDSLIDES
Winter 2022-Spring 2023
Summer-Fall 2023
Winter 2023-Spring 2024
How is the climate changing?
Step 1: Data Collection
• Gather climate and transportation data
• Identify communities that face inequities or disparities
• Assess future climate scenarios
Where are we vulnerable?
Step 2: Analysis
• System Level: Understand risks of climate hazards for transportation assets
• Asset Level: Identify priority locations for adaptation investments
What can we do?
Step 3: Recommendations
• Toolbox of adaptation options
• Design guidelines
• Policy-based actions
• Implementation plan
• Monitoring and update plan
Stakeholder and Public Input
Online Interactive Map
Virtual Public Meeting #1
Virtual Public Meeting #2
Winter 2022 – Spring 2023
How is the climate changing?
Step 1: Data Collection
• Gather climate and transportation data
• Identify communities that face inequities or disparities
• Assess future climate scenarios
Stakeholder and Public Input
Online Interactive Map
Summer – Fall 2023
Where are we vulnerable?
Step 2: Analysis
• System Level: Understand risks of climate hazards for transportation assets
• Asset Level: Identify priority locations for adaptation investments
Stakeholder and Public Input
Virtual Public Meeting #1
Winter 2023 – Spring 2024
What can we do?
Step 3: Recommendations
• Toolbox of adaptation options
• Design guidelines
• Policy-based actions
• Implementation plan
• Monitoring and update plan
Stakeholder and Public Input
Virtual Public Meeting #2