Roads to Ruin?

When a blast of arctic weather dipped south into Texas in February, temperatures plunged into the single digits. The unusual deep freeze in a state built for warmer weather essentially paralyzed much of Texas’s electrical grid and caused 4.5 million people to lose power. Without electricity, many had no heat, and their pipes froze. Dozens of people died.

It’s just the latest example of extreme weather wreaking havoc on the nation’s infrastructure—the roads, railways, electrical grids, power plants, water systems, and more that constitute the backbone
of the nation.

These crises carry a profound warning. Scientists say that climate change is bringing more frequent and intense storms, floods, heat waves, wildfires, and other extreme events. That’s placing growing stress on America’s infrastructure.

Ablast of arctic weather dipped south into Texas in February. It caused temperatures to plunge into the single digits. The unusual deep freeze in a state built for warmer weather essentially paralyzed much of Texas’s electrical grid. This resulted in 4.5 million people losing power. Without electricity, many had no heat, and their pipes froze. Dozens of people died.

It’s just the latest example of extreme weather wreaking havoc on the nation’s infrastructure. Infrastructure is the collection of roads, railways, electrical grids, power plants, water systems, and more that make up the backbone of the nation.

These crises carry a profound warning. Scientists say that climate change is bringing more frequent and intense storms, floods, heat waves, wildfires, and other extreme events. That’s placing growing stress on America’s infrastructure.

Much of this infrastructure, which is critical to the economy, was built decades ago, based on the expectation that local environments would remain relatively stable. Now extreme weather is upending that presumption.

“We are colliding with a future of extremes,” says Alice Hill, who studies climate change risks for the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. “We base all our choices about risk management on what’s occurred in the past, and that is no longer a safe guide.”

According to climate scientists, the gradual rise in Earth’s temperature since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century has been caused by greenhouse gases trapping the sun’s heat in the atmosphere. While it’s not possible to say precisely how climate change affects any one particular storm or weather event, the vast majority of scientists have concluded that the overall rise in extreme weather is a result of Earth’s warming.

Despite the increased risks, infrastructure has often been the last thing to get attention because governments tend to spend as little money as possible on longterm investments, says Shalini Vajjhala, who advises cities on meeting climate threats. She says it’s hard to persuade taxpayers to spend extra money to guard against disasters that have seemed unlikely.

But inaction can be far costlier, she argues. “The argument I would make is we can’t afford not to, because we’re absorbing the costs” later, after disasters strike, Vajjhala says.

President Biden has called for a major push to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure (see “A Plan to Fix It?” below), but getting a closely divided Congress to fund it will be a major challenge. Here’s a look at four key infrastructure sectors that are increasingly at risk, according to engineers, climate scientists, and planners.

This infrastructure is critical to the economy. Much of it was built decades ago, based on the expectation that local environments would remain relatively stable. Now extreme weather is turning that belief upside-down.

“We are colliding with a future of extremes,” says Alice Hill, who studies climate change risks for the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. “We base all our choices about risk management on what’s occurred in the past, and that is no longer a safe guide.”

According to climate scientists, Earth’s temperature has continued to increase since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. They say the rise has been caused by greenhouse gases trapping the sun’s heat in the atmosphere. It’s not possible to say exactly how climate change affects any particular storm or weather event. Still, the vast majority of scientists have found that the overall rise in extreme weather is a result of Earth’s warming.

Despite the increased risks, infrastructure has often been the last thing to get attention. That’s because governments tend to spend as little money as possible on long-term investments, says Shalini Vajjhala, who advises cities on meeting climate threats. She says it’s hard to convince taxpayers to spend extra money to guard against disasters that have seemed unlikely.

But inaction can be far costlier, she argues. “The argument I would make is we can’t afford not to, because we’re absorbing the costs” later, after disasters strike, Vajjhala says.

President Biden has called for a major push to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure (see “A Plan to Fix It?” below). But getting a closely divided Congress to fund it will be a major challenge. Here’s a look at four key infrastructure sectors that are increasingly at risk, according to engineers, climate scientists, and planners.

The U.S. depends on highways, railroads, and bridges as economic arteries for commerce, travel, and simply getting to work. But many of the country’s most important links face mounting threats from extreme weather. In January, heavy rains led to the collapse of a portion of California’s Highway 1 into the Pacific Ocean.

Several climate-related risks appear to have converged to heighten the danger. Rising seas and higher surges of water during storms have eaten away at the soil that holds the road in place, while more extreme rainstorms have increased the risk of landslides.

Add to that the effects of devastating wildfires, which have plagued Western states in recent years. They can damage the vegetation holding hillside soil in place, and “things that wouldn’t have slid without the wildfires start sliding,” says Jennifer Jacobs, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire. “I think we’re going to see more of that.”

While most bridges and roads remain safe for everyday use, more than 60,000 miles of roads and bridges in areas prone to flooding on both coasts are already vulnerable to extreme storms and hurricanes, government estimates show. And inland flooding could also threaten at least 2,500 bridges across the country by 2050, according to a federal climate report released during the Trump administration.

Crucial rail networks are at risk too. In 2017, Amtrak consultants found that along parts of the train system’s Northeast Corridor, which runs from Boston to Washington and carries 12 million people a year, flooding during severe storms could erode the foundation under the train tracks, disable the signals, and eventually put the tracks underwater.

The U.S. depends on highways, railroads, and bridges as economic pathways for commerce, travel, and simply getting to work. But many of the country’s most important links face growing threats from extreme weather. In January, heavy rains led part of California’s Highway 1 to collapse into the Pacific Ocean.

Several climate-related risks appear to have combined to heighten the danger. Rising seas and higher surges of water during storms have eaten away at the soil that holds the road in place. And more extreme rainstorms have increased the risk of landslides.

Add to that the effects of devastating wildfires, which have plagued Western states in recent years. They can damage the plants holding hillside soil in place. And “things that wouldn’t have slid without the wildfires start sliding,” says Jennifer Jacobs, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire. “I think we’re going to see more of that.”

Most bridges and roads remain safe for everyday use. But more than 60,000 miles of roads and bridges in areas prone to flooding on both coasts are already vulnerable to extreme storms and hurricanes, government estimates show. And inland flooding could also threaten at least 2,500 bridges across the country by 2050, according to a federal climate report released during the Trump administration.

Crucial rail networks are at risk too. In 2017, Amtrak consultants looked into the train system’s Northeast Corridor. This line runs from Boston to Washington and carries 12 million people a year. They found that along parts of it, flooding during severe storms could destroy the foundation under the train tracks. These storms could also disable the signals. Eventually, the floods could put the tracks underwater.

You probably take electricity for granted, but it takes a complex system of plants that generate power and transmission lines that carry it to customers for you to be able to flip on the kitchen lights or charge your phone. And all the pieces of that system are vulnerable to extreme weather.

In 2012, flooding from Superstorm Sandy knocked out power for 8.7 million people in New York and New Jersey. When Hurricane Irma hit Florida five years later, it cut power to 6.7 million households—two-thirds of the customers in the state.

And it’s not just storms that cause problems. Severe droughts can reduce water supplies for hydroelectric dams. Intense heat waves can make it harder for gas- or coal-powered plants to produce electricity and less efficient for transmission lines to carry that power to your house—at precisely the moment that demand soars because everyone cranks up their air conditioners.

Nuclear power plants are also vulnerable to weather extremes. Very hot weather can force shutdowns because the water used to cool reactors becomes too warm to use.

Flooding is another potential risk to nuclear reactors. After a tsunami led to several meltdowns at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the 56 working nuclear plants in the U.S., many decades old, to evaluate their flood risk to account for climate change. Ninety percent showed a higher flood risk than the plant was designed to handle.

You probably take electricity for granted. But it takes a complex system of plants to generate power and transmission lines to carry it to customers. That’s what enables you to be able to flip on the kitchen lights or charge your phone. And all the pieces of that system are vulnerable to extreme weather.

In 2012, flooding from Superstorm Sandy knocked out power for 8.7 million people in New York and New Jersey. Hurricane Irma hit Florida five years later. It cut power to 6.7 million households, which was two-thirds of the customers in the state.

And it’s not just storms that cause problems. Severe droughts can reduce water supplies for hydroelectric dams. Intense heat waves can make it harder for gas- or coal-powered plants to produce electricity. The heat also can make it less efficient for transmission lines to carry that power to your house. Often that happens when demand soars because everyone cranks up their air conditioners.

Nuclear power plants are also vulnerable to weather extremes. Very hot weather can force shutdowns because the water used to cool reactors becomes too warm to use.

Flooding is another potential risk to nuclear reactors. For example, a tsunami led to several meltdowns at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011. Afterward, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the 56 working nuclear plants in the U.S. to check their flood risk. Most of these plants were many decades old, so it was important for them to account for climate change. Ninety percent showed a higher flood risk than the plant was designed to handle.

We count on being able to flush our toilets and turn the tap for clean water, but that depends on a largely invisible system of pipes to supply water and remove waste. In many parts of the country, these systems are more than 100 years old. And that is increasingly causing problems as the climate warms.

Last September, when a sudden storm dumped a record of more than 2 inches of water on Washington, D.C., in less than 75 minutes, the result wasn’t just widespread flooding but also raw sewage rushing into hundreds of homes.

The downpour overwhelmed storm drains along the street, which were built to overflow into the pipes that carry raw sewage. But if there’s too much pressure, sewage can be pushed backward, into people’s homes—where it can erupt from toilets and shower drains.

We count on being able to flush our toilets and turn the tap for clean water, but that depends on a largely invisible system of pipes to supply water and remove waste. In many parts of the country, these systems are more than 100 years old. And that is increasingly causing problems as the climate warms.

Last September, a sudden storm dumped more than 2 inches of water on Washington, D.C., in less than 75 minutes. The result was widespread flooding. It also caused raw sewage to rush into hundreds of homes.

The downpour overwhelmed storm drains along the street. These drains were built to overflow into the pipes that carry raw sewage. But if there’s too much pressure, sewage can be pushed backward, into people’s homes. The force can cause sewage to erupt from toilets and shower drains.

Washington’s system, similar to many in the Midwest, was built in the late 1800s. DC Water, the local utility, is spending billions of dollars so that the system can hold more sewage as storms grow more intense.

“We’re sort of in uncharted territory,” says Vincent Morris, a utility spokesman.

In many rural parts of the country, water supplies come from reservoirs, with the water held back by dams. Many of the country’s 90,000 dams were built decades ago and are in dire need of repairs, engineers say.

Last May, flooding from heavy rain caused the failure of two dams in central Michigan, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and threatening a chemical plant and toxic waste cleanup site. Experts say this kind of thing is likely to happen again.

Heavier downpours in parts of the country are raising the odds that some dams could be overwhelmed by more water than they were designed to handle. One recent study found that most of California’s biggest dams are at increased risk of failure as global warming advances.

Nationwide, there’s a backlog of thousands of older dams that need to be fixed. The price tag could ultimately stretch to more than $70 billion.

“Whenever we study dam failures, we often find there was a lot of complacency beforehand,” says Bill McCormick, president of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. But given that failures can have catastrophic consequences, “we really can’t afford to be complacent.”

Washington’s system was built in the late 1800s, like many in the Midwest. DC Water, the local utility, is spending billions of dollars so that the system can hold more sewage as storms grow more intense.

“We’re sort of in uncharted territory,” says Vincent Morris, a utility spokesman.

In many rural parts of the country, water supplies come from reservoirs, with the water held back by dams. Many of the country’s 90,000 dams were built decades ago and are in dire need of repairs, engineers say.

Last May, flooding from heavy rain caused the failure of two dams in central Michigan. Thousands of residents had no choice but to flee their homes. The overwhelmed dams also threatened a chemical plant and toxic waste cleanup site. Experts say this kind of thing is likely to happen again.

Heavier downpours in parts of the country are raising the odds that some dams could be overwhelmed by more water than they were designed to handle. One recent study found that most of California’s biggest dams are at increased risk of failure as global warming advances.

Nationwide, there’s a backlog of thousands of older dams that need to be fixed. The price tag could ultimately stretch to more than $70 billion.

“Whenever we study dam failures, we often find there was a lot of complacency beforehand,” says Bill McCormick, president of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. But given that failures can have catastrophic consequences, “we really can’t afford to be complacent.”

The U.S. has more than 1,300 toxic waste sites—usually former mines, dumps, or manufacturing facilities where dangerous chemicals were used. They’re known as Superfund sites. Almost two-thirds of Superfund sites are in areas with a high risk of flooding, wildfires, or sea level rise, according to a 2019 government report.

Consider the particular vulnerability of coal ash, a toxic substance produced by coal power plants that is often stored in special ponds. After Hurricane Florence in 2018, for example, a dam breach at the site of a power plant in Wilmington, North Carolina, released hazardous coal ash into a nearby river.

“We should be evaluating whether these facilities or sites actually have to be moved or resecured,” says Lisa Evans, a senior lawyer at Earthjustice, an environmental law organization.

Her assessment of the safety of toxic waste sites applies more broadly to much of the nation’s infrastructure: Places that “may have been OK in 1990,” she says, “may be a disaster waiting to happen in 2021.”

The U.S. has more than 1,300 toxic waste sites. They’re usually former mines, dumps, or manufacturing facilities where dangerous chemicals were used. They’re known as Superfund sites. Almost two-thirds of Superfund sites are in areas with a high risk of flooding, wildfires, or sea level rise, according to a 2019 government report.

Consider the particular vulnerability of coal ash. This toxic substance is produced by coal power plants. It’s often stored in special ponds. After Hurricane Florence in 2018, a dam breach at the site of a power plant
in Wilmington, North Carolina, released hazardous coal ash into
a nearby river.

“We should be evaluating whether these facilities or sites actually have to be moved or resecured,” says Lisa Evans, a senior lawyer at Earthjustice, an environmental law organization.

Her assessment of the safety of toxic waste sites applies more broadly to much of the nation’s infrastructure. Places that “may have been OK in 1990,” she says, “may be a disaster waiting to happen in 2021.”

With reporting by Christopher Flavelle, Brad Plumer, and Hiroko Tabuchi of The Times.

With reporting by Christopher Flavelle, Brad Plumer, and Hiroko Tabuchi of The Times.