Journal on Policy & Complex Systems Volume 3, Issue 2 | Page 60

Dynamics of Intergovernmental Networks
pose daunting risks to transportation infrastructure across the globe ( Jaroszweski , Chapman , & Petts , 2010 ). While a large amount of the literature on transportation and climate change focuses on mitigation ( e . g ., the role of transportation in carbon reduction ) ( Schmidt & Meyer , 2009 ), more research is needed on understanding the impacts of global climate change on transportation infrastructure and designing adaptation strategies to build resilient infrastructures ( Hunt & Watkiss , 2011 ). In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ’ s ( IPCC ’ s ) Fifth Assessment Report , Revi et al . ( 2014 , p . 562 ) concluded that transportation systems are “ a difficult sector to adapt ” due to large existing stock , especially in cities in developed countries , leading to potentially large secondary economic impacts with regional and potentially global consequences for trade and business . Emergency response requires well-functioning transport infrastructure . The IPCC synthesis team concluded ( Revi et al ., 2014 , p . 563 ) that there is relatively less literature available on understanding the role of “ local government decisions to include adaptation in plans and investment programs .” The local government decisions are , however , typically embedded in intergovernmental networks , some of which extend beyond public – public intergovernmental configuration , into governance networks comprised of public , private , and civil society actors ( Koliba et al ., 2010 ). Coordination among national , regional , and local level agencies in such governance networks is critical for implementing adaptation strategies in the transport sector , as climate change impacts are widespread and extend across scales ( Regmi & Hanaoka , 2011 ).
The Northeastern US has suffered from recent storms that point toward a need for improved resilience . In August
2011 , Vermont was hit especially hard by Tropical Storm Irene , which caused an estimated $ 250 million dollars of damage to transportation infrastructure alone . In addition to the ~ 200 bridges that were damaged on state roads , municipalities had to repair or replace another 280 bridges and 960 culverts ( Johnson , 2012 ). The Vermont Agency of Transportation ( known as VTrans ) responded quickly to rebuild , but as importantly , the disaster spurred the Agency — as a state-level organization — to formalize its stance on climate change adaptation . In a white paper released a year after Tropical Storm Irene , VTrans outlines its goals and procedures for adaptation and notes roadblocks and potential improvement actions . Among the roadblocks are regulatory constraints , forecasting difficulties , political tensions , and , above all , budgetary restrictions . Some noted opportunities for improvement include standardization and digitization of records , infrastructure resilience monitoring , the expansion of asset inventories , and updating project prioritization guidelines ( Johnson , 2012 ). On top of climate change induced extreme event impacts , budgetary restrictions and uncertainty surrounding the funding of long-term infrastructure projects cause another set of challenges to mainstream adaptation and resilience planning in intergovernmental project prioritization processes ( Schulz , Zia , & Koliba , 2017 ).
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