Impact of Climate Change on Texas Traffic

Scientific studies and historical trends suggest extreme weather events are becoming more severe and frequent. These events have the potential to severely impact the transportation system, which is critical to the economy and well-being. Given the impacts that climate has on infrastructure condition and system performance, accounting for climate stressors in the long-term management of infrastructure becomes crucial. While pavement conditions in Texas are good, traffic congestion is a growing concern that is expected to worsen in the next decade. Under this scenario, it is crucial to understand how extreme events may impact traffic. This study leverages crowdsourced traffic data obtained from mobile location services to quantify the impact of historical flood events in Texas. The analysis showed that traffic disruption caused by flooding is a recurrent phenomenon across Texas, especially for coastal communities in Houston, Galveston, Rockport, and Corpus Christi. Flood events result in an average reduction of the number of trips of 68%, with some events causing disruptions that are equivalent to losing two full days of typical traffic. Traffic disruption reflects travelers’ decisions or ability to travel, with broader implications that may limit access to work, healthcare, and other essential services. With a changing climate posing new challenges in the management of civil infrastructure, it becomes imperative to leverage new technologies and advanced methods to support decision-making and enhance infrastructure resilience.