Improving Coastal Facilities Resiliency Systematically (Source: Civil + Structural Engineer)

By Ashish Patel

Following extreme storm events such as Hurricane Harvey, Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Laura in recent years, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) engaged planning, engineering and program management firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) in December 2020 to perform a facility evaluation study of selected facilities in five coastal districts — Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Houston, Pharr, and Yoakum  — before the 2021 hurricane season (In Texas, June 1 is the beginning of hurricane season).

Subsequently, LAN performed a comprehensive FEMA Level 1 assessment of 52 facilities in these coastal districts and provided recommendations to improve their resilience against probable future hurricane, wind, and flood hazards. As TxDOT improves the resiliency of its vulnerable facilities in these coastal districts, the agency will be better prepared to serve the needs of its residents during future hurricanes and storms.