Coastal protection strategies to minimize transportation network disruption from sea level rise

Abstract

As sea levels rise, there has been an increase in research focused on the protection of shoreline infrastructure and transportation systems that may increasingly suffer from permanent capacity and accessibility reduction. This paper focuses on Abu Dhabi, UAE, a city vulnerable to inundation due to its insular geography, aiming to identify protection strategies that will minimize transportation network delays. The model considers hydrodynamic interactions within the shoreline, and traffic assignment in the network. The results show that there exist relatively critical shoreline portions to protect to reduce traffic disruptions, while there are combinations of shoreline protection that worsen the congestion levels. The results also show that in some cases, the marginal effects of protecting one precinct may yield a better reduction of congestion than multiple other precincts. This research can provide a general framework to be considered in the design of transportation infrastructure protection planning against sea level rise.