FHWA Development of Guidebooks on Trails as Resilient Infrastructure

National

Project Summary

Trails can be a climate solution, as they shift more trips to walking, biking, and rolling. But trails can be particularly vulnerable to climate impacts such as flooding, fire, and erosion. Toole Design developed a guidebook for the Federal Highway Administration on trails as resilient infrastructure. The guidebook, which covers topics of climate change resilience and emergency response and preparedness, serves as a resource for the national trails community.

Billion-dollar natural disasters are increasingly common in the United States and can result in physical damage to trail infrastructure. (Source: Adapted from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)).

Drawing upon the latest research, best practices in trail design and management, and case studies from trail projects around the country, key sections of the guidebook include:

  • How to assess the vulnerability of trails to climate change and extreme weather
  • How to design, plan for, manage, and maintain trails to be resilient to climate change and extreme weather
  • Funding opportunities and strategies to leverage existing funding for trail resilience
  • Associated design and maintenance costs and benefits and innovative finance strategies

Expertise Applied

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