Adaptation to climate change

Climate change will modify actual risk levels and therefore challenge design guidelines and procedures for the operation and maintenance of the road infrastructure. There will be an increase in unusual climatic events, with significant impacts on infrastructure, operations, and the economy as a whole. For road owners, adaptation to climate change should be included in current and future procedures covering all aspects of road planning, design, maintenance, and operation. Climate change, as described by the projections from global and regional models, will bring about a number of challenges for the road network in Europe. In most cases, these will be the same challenges as today, but on a larger scale, occurring more frequently and at other locations than expected. In addition, more unusual weather combinations may be experienced, e.g. winter floods. In some cases, climate change may be beneficial for road owners, e.g. in places where less snow can be expected.