Statewide Resiliency Plan

TxDOT is initiating the Statewide Resiliency Plan (SRP) to strengthen the resilience of the state’s multimodal transportation system to a range of potential hazards. Every year, the state’s transportation system is at risk to extreme weather events, such as riverine and coastal flooding, extreme heat, extreme cold, Intelligent Transportation System security threats, and other human-made hazards such as dam and levee failures. These hazards can damage transportation infrastructure and disrupt operations, with cascading impacts for public safety and health, freight and supply chains, and the Texas economy. In recognition of these potential impacts, TxDOT is taking the lead to develop the SRP and proactively manage and anticipate future disruptions to the transportation system.

The SRP will evaluate the vulnerability of the Texas transportation system to a wide range of hazards, identify critical infrastructure, assess their vulnerabilities, and develop solutions and strategies to increase their resilience. In addition, the SRP will also evaluate the economic costs – such as infrastructure damage, emergency response costs, economic losses, and recovery costs – that would result if no actions were taken to address system vulnerabilities.

Examples of infrastructure types considered in this evaluation are illustrated below:

Purpose of the SRP

The SRP will achieve multiple outcomes: 

• Define resilience in the context of the Texas multimodal transportation system.
• Provide a framework for TxDOT and other transportation stakeholders to consistently incorporate resilience into their transportation planning processes.
• Assess critical transportation asset risks and vulnerabilities.
• Develop an implementation plan that includes strategies for improving the resiliency of the transportation system.
• Provide a resource for pursuing Federal and State funding opportunities for transportation projects.
• Serve as the Texas Resilience Improvement Plan to meet requirements in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Program, enabling Texas to access cost savings on PROTECT-funded projects. 

Stakeholders

Incorporating the perspectives and experiences of transportation stakeholders from across Texas is critical to the success of the SRP. The SRP team will coordinate closely with TxDOT divisions, districts, advisory committees, and other transportation stakeholders throughout the development process. 

Resilience Steering Committee 

The Resilience Steering Committee (RSC) will provide guidance and feedback into the SRP throughout the project timeline. Consisting of representatives from TxDOT divisions and districts, the RSC will contribute important regional and issue-specific perspectives on resilience and provide connections and linkages to other TxDOT plans and programs. 

The RSC will meet five times during the SRP development. A tentative schedule is as follows: 

• February 2023: SRP kick-off; resiliency goals and past challenges
• June 2023: Vulnerability assessment 
• November 2023: Results of the vulnerability assessment, economic costs 
• February 2024: Draft strategies and performance indicators
• June 2024 Draft SRP, outcomes, and findings

Outreach and coordination

The SRP team will hold workshops and interviews with transportation stakeholders across Texas, including but not limited to metropolitan planning organizations, cities and counties, transit districts, the freight and shipping industry, ports, and other state agencies. This outreach and coordination will enable their perspectives and feedback on resilience challenges and strategies to be incorporated into the SRP. In addition, the SRP will engage with TxDOT Advisory Committees on freight, border trade, and other focus areas. 

Results and outcomes

Findings and recommendations of the SRP will serve as a resource to TxDOT divisions and districts for incorporating transportation resilience into statewide, regional, and local transportation planning and project development. A science-based approach, informed by stakeholder input, will generate strategies and solutions that can anticipate current and future hazards for decades to come. 

In addition, there will be a reciprocal exchange of information and recommendations between the SRP and other TxDOT planning processes. The SRP will be informed by findings from the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan, the Texas Transportation Asset Management Plan, the Texas Freight Mobility Plan, international trade and border planning, and other efforts. In turn, findings from the SRP will be incorporated into future iterations of these plans to mainstream resilience throughout TxDOT planning processes.

SRP development timeline

The SRP kicked off in December 2022 and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2024.