Transportation Financial Module
The EFC developed financial modules for communities threatened and/or impacted by adverse environmental conditions. There is a module for each of four community components—Water, Wastewater, Solid Waste, and Transportation. These modules focus on the financial information needed to help a community with the decision of whether to defend and adapt-in-place, or instead to relocate. First, each module consists of questions for a community to consider that help in the decision-making process. The Drinking Water and Wastewater modules also include online resources to help answer the questions, including federal and state agency resources for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
- Questions to consider and resources
- Scenario 1: Defend in place
- Scenario 2: Relocate to a new land base
- Scenario 3: Relocate to existing community
- Scenario 4: “Do nothing”
Questions to consider and resources
Transportation Specific
(Can be used for other infrastructure components as well.)
Throughout the following questions, the term “transportation system” is meant to include all the aspects of transportation including roads of different materials (dirt, gravel, asphalt, concrete), bridges, trails used by both motor traffic like all-terrain vehicles (ATV’s) and foot traffic, board roads and boardwalks, plane runways on land and floatplane “runways” on water, water transportation systems like rivers or ocean coasts by ferry vessels and personal water craft, and ice roads used by trucks, ATV’s, snow machines, and dog sleds.
- What are the different types of infrastructure that make up the whole transportation system?
- Roads: paved, gravel, dirt, ice in winter
- Trails: for ATVs, for foot traffic
- Trails in the winter: for ATVs, snow machines, foot traffic
- Board roads and boardwalks
- Plane runways: paved or gravel
- Waterways for floatplanes: lakes, ponds, sand bars in a river
- Rivers for ferries, personal water craft
- Rivers when frozen for vehicles including snow machines or dog sleds
- Which of these have already impacted your transportation system?
- Flooding
- Erosion
- Land upheaval or sinking
- Land sinking
- Faster degradation of aboveground features like pavement, concrete, wood for board roads and boardwalks; and/or underground features like culverts, stormwater pipes, boardwalk and/or bridge footings and supports.
- Is your community transportation system at risk of being affected by sea level rise, coastal erosion, or upland flooding?
- Is your transportation system in an area that could be impacted by other environmental events?
The following are online resources that can help you understand types of risks and how likely it is that elements of your transportation system will be impacted by different risks.
ALL STATES:
Climate Change Basics: EPA Page
State and Regional Climate Impacts EPA Page
Climate Change Implications and Impacts
NW Climate Change Impacts: USDA Page
State Climate Summaries 2022 NOAA NCIS Page
AK and NW Regional Fact Sheet on Climate Change (2016)
EPA Region 10 Resources and Tools Page
FEMA’s Hazus Program for Estimating Risk
Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X)
Toolkit Steps to Resilience – Federal-Wide Resources
ALASKA:
Alaska Coastal Change Viewer | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
Toolkit to Manage Risks, Opportunities, and Resilience – Federal-Wide AK
NORTHWEST:
NOAA Online Sea Level Rise Map Viewer
Toolkit to Manage Risks, Opportunities, and Resilience – Federal-Wide NW
OREGON:
Oregon Coastal Atlas | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
- Has a vulnerability assessment been completed?
ALL STATES:
Building Resilience in Coastal Communities | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
OREGON:
WASHINGTON:
https://www.washington-apa.org/assets/docs/2015/Ten_Big_Ideas/cc-vulnerability-assessments.pdf
- Do you have a hazard mitigation plan?
https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning
https://www.fema.gov/pre-disaster-mitigation-grant-program
- Do you have an emergency response plan?
ALL STATES:
https://toolkit.climate.gov/#steps
ALASKA:
Plans | DHS&EM | Home (alaska.gov)
Local Emergency Planning Committees | DHS&EM | Home (alaska.gov)
DHS&EM | Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program (alaska.gov)
IDAHO:
Emergency Planning | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
Preparedness for Community and Government Leaders | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
Agency Contacts | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
OREGON:
WASHINGTON:
Plans | Washington State Military Department
Emergency Support Function #1 | Transportation
Local, Tribal, and Others Planning Resources | Washington State Military Department
Alerts | Washington State Military Department
- Do you need funding to develop infrastructure to mitigate sea level rise and erosion?
https://www.cpo.noaa.gov/Grants
https://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit#
Funding Opportunities | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
- Other resources
https://www.rcap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RCAP-Getting-Your-Project-to-Flow-Smoothly.pdf
https://www.rcap.org/resource/ten-tips-to-help-communities-hire-an-engineer-2/
https://www.rcap.org/resource/need-help-hire-outside-consultant/
Scenario 1: Defend in place
1.1 Is your tribe, city, county, or state responsible for your transportation system? If so, do you or they have a transportation system plan in place?
TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS:
Office of Tribal Transportation | FHWA
ALASKA:
Resources – Alaska Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Planning & Program Development, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Area and Regional Long Range Plans
Alaska Aviation System Plan – Home (alaskaasp.com)
Alaskan Regional Airports Division | Federal Aviation Administration
Alaska State Rail Plan, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Ports and Harbors, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
IDAHO:
Idaho Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration
Projects | Idaho Transportation Department
Idaho Technology Transfer (T2) Center and Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)
OREGON:
Oregon Division | Federal Highway Administration
Oregon Department of Transportation : Newsroom : State of Oregon
WASHINGTON:
Programs | Washington Division | Federal Highway Administration
Washington State Department of Transportation
Statewide transportation asset management | WSDOT
1.2 Do you know who to contact in an emergency? Do you know who to contact for funding after an emergency?
ALL STATES:
Assistance for Governments and Private Non-Profits After a Disaster | FEMA
ALASKA:
IDAHO:
County & Tribal Emergency Managers Contacts | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
OREGON:
Local Emergency Contacts | Oregon Office of Emergency Management
WASHINGTON:
1.3 Do you have an adaptation strategy?
ALL STATES:
https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/30627?fromSearch=fromsearch&id=6938
https://www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/featured.html
https://toolkit.climate.gov/help/partners
https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/funding-opportunities
1.4 Have new policies been developed to adopt an adaptation strategy?
ALL STATES:
https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/strategies-climate-change-adaptation
https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/your-climate-adaptation-search
https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/federal-agency-coordination
TRIBES:
https://www.bia.gov/bia/ots/tribal-resilience-program
ALASKA:
https://dec.alaska.gov/climate-change/
IDAHO:
http://deq.idaho.gov/water-quality/planning/
OREGON:
https://www.oregon.gov/energy/Data-and-Reports/Documents/BER-Chapter-5-Resilience.pdf
WASHINGTON:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/1201004.pdf
1.5 The next eight questions are grouped together because you can use the following resources and contacts to help you answer all of them.
1. Do you know who to contact for technical assistance?
2. Do you know what type of new transportation infrastructure you will need?
3. Will you be responsible for managing your local transportation infrastructure system? If so, do you have the administrative capacity to do so? If not, is there another entity that does (tribe, city, borough, regional tribal consortium, state)?
4. If applicable, do you have ownership or right of use (easements) for the new locations of roads, boardwalks and board roads, trails?
5. If applicable, will you have legal access to other land and facilities related to your transportation system?
6. Do you know what planning and construction funding is available?
7. Can any materials from existing transportation elements be moved to the new location? For example, gravel, boards or other boardwalk material?
8. Do you know what permits you would need for constructing new transportation elements? Or do you know who to contact?
ALL STATES:
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT:
Office of Tribal Transportation | FHWA (dot.gov)
Division of Transportation | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
AK BIA Transportation | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ID, OR, WA Tribes: Contact the Northwest Regional Office | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ID, OR, WA Tribes: The Northwest Regional Office Agencies | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ALASKA:
Resources – Alaska Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Planning & Program Development, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Aviation System Plan – Home (alaskaasp.com)
Alaskan Regional Airports Division | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)
Alaska State Rail Plan, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Ports and Harbors, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
IDAHO:
Agency Contacts | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
Idaho Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Grants | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
OREGON:
Oregon Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Oregon Department of Transportation : Newsroom : State of Oregon
WASHINGTON:
Programs | Washington Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Technical assistance | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Roads & bridges | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide plans | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide transportation asset management | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Funding programs | WSDOT (wa.gov)
1.6 Do you have engineering assistance?
https://www.rcap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RCAP-Getting-Your-Project-to-Flow-Smoothly.pdf
https://www.rcap.org/resource/ten-tips-to-help-communities-hire-an-engineer-2/
https://www.rcap.org/resource/need-help-hire-outside-consultant/
https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2006/07/10/focus7.html
Scenario 2 Relocate to a new land base
2.1 Who will be responsible for your transportation system – the tribe, city, county, or state?
TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS:
Office of Tribal Transportation | FHWA (dot.gov)
ALASKA:
Resources – Alaska Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Planning & Program Development, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Area and Regional Long Range Plans
Alaska Aviation System Plan – Home (alaskaasp.com)
Alaskan Regional Airports Division | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)
Alaska State Rail Plan, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Ports and Harbors, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
IDAHO:
Idaho Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Projects | Idaho Transportation Department
Idaho Technology Transfer (T2) Center and Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)
OREGON:
Oregon Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Oregon Department of Transportation : Newsroom : State of Oregon
WASHINGTON:
Programs | Washington Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Washington State Department of Transportation
Roads & bridges | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide plans | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide transportation asset management | WSDOT (wa.gov)
2.2 The next eight questions are grouped together because you can use the following resources and contacts to help you answer all of them.
1. Do you know who to contact for technical assistance?
2. Do you know what type of new transportation infrastructure you will need?
3. Will you be responsible for managing your local transportation infrastructure system? If so, do you have the administrative capacity to do so? If not, is there another entity that does (tribe, city, borough, regional tribal consortium, state)?
4. If applicable, do you have ownership or right of use (easements) for the new locations of roads, boardwalks and board roads, trails?
5. If applicable, will you have legal access to other land and facilities related to your transportation system?
6. Do you know what planning and construction funding is available?
7. Can any materials from existing transportation elements be moved to the new location? For example, gravel, boards or other boardwalk material?
8. Do you know what permits you would need for constructing new transportation elements? Or do you know who to contact?
ALL STATES:
https://www.rcap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RCAP-Getting-Your-Project-to-Flow-Smoothly.pdf
https://www.rcap.org/resource/ten-tips-to-help-communities-hire-an-engineer-2/
https://www.rcap.org/resource/need-help-hire-outside-consultant/
https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2006/07/10/focus7.html
TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS:
Office of Tribal Transportation | FHWA (dot.gov)
Division of Transportation | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
AK BIA Transportation | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ID, OR, WA Tribes: Contact the Northwest Regional Office | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ID, OR, WA Tribes: The Northwest Regional Office Agencies | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ALASKA:
Resources – Alaska Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Planning & Program Development, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Aviation System Plan – Home (alaskaasp.com)
Alaskan Regional Airports Division | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)
Alaska State Rail Plan, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Ports and Harbors, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
IDAHO:
Agency Contacts | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
Idaho Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Grants | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
OREGON:
Oregon Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Oregon Department of Transportation : Newsroom : State of Oregon
WASHINGTON:
Programs | Washington Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Technical assistance | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Roads & bridges | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide plans | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide transportation asset management | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Funding programs | WSDOT (wa.gov)
2.3 Do you have engineering assistance?
2.4 Do you have a relocation plan?
https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/seven-generations%E2%80%94community-based-environmental-planning
https://toolkit.climate.gov/help/partnershttps:/
https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/funding-opportunities
Scenario 3: Relocate to existing community
3.1 Do you know who to contact in an emergency? Do you know who to contact for funding after an emergency?
ALL:
Assistance for Governments and Private Non-Profits After a Disaster | FEMA
ALASKA:
IDAHO:
County & Tribal Emergency Managers Contacts | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
OREGON:
Local Emergency Contacts | Oregon Office of Emergency Management
WASHINGTON:
3.2 The next 11 questions are grouped together because you can use the following resources and contacts to help you answer all of them.
1. Do you know who to contact for technical assistance?
2. Can the existing transportation system accommodate the additional population and commercial activity or will it need to be expanded? Is there room on the land for expanding transportation access?
3. Do you know what type of new transportation infrastructure you will need?
4. Who will be responsible for managing your local transportation infrastructure system? Will your two communities work jointly to manage the system? If so, do you have the administrative capacity to do so? If not, is there another entity that does (tribe, city, borough, regional tribal consortium, state)?
5. If expansion is needed, who has ownership or right of use (easements) for the areas where the transportation will need to expand?
6. If expansion is needed, who has legal access to the land and facilities related to your transportation system?
7. Do you know what planning and construction funding is available?
8. Can any materials from the existing transportation system be used at the new location? For example, gravel, boards or other boardwalk material?
9. Do you know what permits you would need for expanding and constructing new transportation elements? Or do you know who to contact?
10. Does the existing system have a transportation system plan in place?
11. How will the costs change to operate and maintain the transportation system after adding the additional community members or households?
ALL STATES:
https://www.rcap.org/resource/benefits-of-regionalization/
TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS:
Office of Tribal Transportation | FHWA (dot.gov)
Division of Transportation | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
AK BIA Transportation | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ID, OR, WA Tribes: Contact the Northwest Regional Office | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ID, OR, WA Tribes: The Northwest Regional Office Agencies | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)
ALASKA:
Resources – Alaska Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Planning & Program Development, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Aviation System Plan – Home (alaskaasp.com)
Alaskan Regional Airports Division | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)
Alaska State Rail Plan, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Ports and Harbors, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
IDAHO:
Agency Contacts | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
Idaho Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Grants | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
OREGON:
Oregon Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Oregon Department of Transportation : Newsroom : State of Oregon
WASHINGTON:
Programs | Washington Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Technical assistance | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Roads & bridges | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide plans | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Statewide transportation asset management | WSDOT (wa.gov)
Funding programs | WSDOT (wa.gov)
3.3 Do you have MOA/MOU’s in place between your community and the existing community?
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/ncccp/doc/SampleMOATemplate.doc
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/Portals/4/pub/MOAnulato.doc
https://www.galenaalaska.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/GCSD-March-2020-School-Board-Packet.pdf
http://www.cawh.org/home/showdocument?id=340
https://www.maplevalleywa.gov/home/showdocument?id=940
https://publicrecordscenter.bellevuewa.gov/ContractorAgreement/CITY_OF_ISSAQUAH-10-19-2015.pdf
https://www.waterrf.org/system/files/resource/2019-10/DRPT-4750.pdf
3.4 Do you have a relocation plan?
https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/seven-generations%E2%80%94community-based-environmental-planning
https://toolkit.climate.gov/help/partners
https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/funding-opportunities
3.5 Do you have engineering assistance?
https://www.rcap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RCAP-Getting-Your-Project-to-Flow-Smoothly.pdf
https://www.rcap.org/resource/ten-tips-to-help-communities-hire-an-engineer-2/
https://www.rcap.org/resource/need-help-hire-outside-consultant/
https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2006/07/10/focus7.html
3.6 Can any existing materials be moved to the existing community to support expansion?
Scenario 4: “Do nothing:
4.1 Is your tribe, city, county, or state responsible for your transportation system? If so, do you or they have a transportation system plan in place?
TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS:
Office of Tribal Transportation | FHWA
ALASKA:
Resources – Alaska Division | Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
Planning & Program Development, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Area and Regional Long Range Plans
Alaska Aviation System Plan – Home (alaskaasp.com)
Alaskan Regional Airports Division | Federal Aviation Administration
Alaska State Rail Plan, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
Alaska Ports and Harbors, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska
IDAHO:
Idaho Division | Federal Highway Administration | Federal Highway Administration
Projects | Idaho Transportation Department
Idaho Technology Transfer (T2) Center and Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)
OREGON:
Oregon Division | Federal Highway Administration
Oregon Department of Transportation : Newsroom : State of Oregon
WASHINGTON:
Programs | Washington Division | Federal Highway Administration
Washington State Department of Transportation
Statewide transportation asset management | WSDOT
4.2 Do you know who to contact in an emergency? Do you know who to contact for funding after an emergency?
ALL STATES:
Assistance for Governments and Private Non-Profits After a Disaster | FEMA
ALASKA:
IDAHO:
County & Tribal Emergency Managers Contacts | Office of Emergency Management (idaho.gov)
OREGON:
Local Emergency Contacts | Oregon Office of Emergency Management
WASHINGTON: