Contact: Edward Barrera
What you need to know: California is taking steps to protect highways and communities from extreme weather by using updated guidance and tools aimed at furthering adaptation efforts of the state’s transportation infrastructure against climate change.
SACRAMENTO – California is strengthening its transportation system against both immediate and long-term climate threats with new tools and guidance to protect critical infrastructure statewide.
Caltrans has released its 2026 Climate Change Vulnerability Risk Assessment (CCVRA) and updated statewide Sea Level Rise guidance, demonstrating California’s commitment to science-based planning and investments in infrastructure resiliency. These distinct efforts serve a unique purpose in the state’s climate adaptation strategy and will equip the Department in preparing for potential impacts of El Niño and other extreme weather events.
While both initiatives advance California’s efforts in climate resilience, each address different aspects of climate adaptation for transportation infrastructure.
“By planning for extreme weather risks up front and working closely with local partners, we can protect vital connections, reduce harm to vulnerable residents and support solutions that reflect the needs and strengths of each community,. These initiatives highlight Governor Newsom’s commitment to long-term investment on the state’s transportation system in order to build a safer, more resilient future.”
“As climate science and conditions continue to evolve, Caltrans is using the latest tools and guidance to proactively plan for future impacts to enhance public safety and protect critical transportation infrastructure,. Our data-driven approach will strengthen resiliency across our transportation network to better protect all Californians.”
Achieving a Resilient Transportation Network Along Our Coastline
The release of an updated statewide Sea Level Rise guidance ensures transportation planning and project development proactively considers climate driven changes to coastal and near shore environments. The updated guidance provides directions for the transportation industry to evaluate exposure to sea level rise, assess climate-related hazards, and develop appropriate adaptation strategies. It emphasizes flexible, risk-based decision-making utilizing best available science, while recognizing that project-specific decisions remain essential.
Consistent with the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) 2.0's guiding principles, the updated guidance supports statewide goals to improve safety, strengthen climate resilience and reduce harm to vulnerable communities. CAPTI calls for transportation investments that account for physical climate risks as standard practice and emphasizes the importance of adaptation planning in both urban and rural settings.
Additionally, both the Sea Level Rise guidance and the CCVRA are elements of CAPTI 2.0, specifically Action S1.2 to implement a climate adaptation planning and delivery framework with corresponding performance targets.
Click here for more information on Sea Level Rise guidance.
Protecting Existing Transportation Infrastructure from Sea Level Rise
Gleason Beach Realignment Project
In 2023, Caltrans District 4 completed their first climate change adaptation project to address the effects of sea-level rise by moving a half-mile section of Highway 1 up by 400 feet inland in Sonoma County. The $60.5 million project included the construction of an 850-foot-long bridge, restored natural habitat for endangered salmon and steelhead, improved multi-modal facilities through the development of a new alignment of the California Coastal Trail and enhanced roadway safety and connectivity for the community and visitors.
Cardiff State Beach Living Shoreline Project
In collaboration with state and local partners, this project exemplifies a nature-based holistic strategy to address near term sea-level rise to safeguard U.S. 101 in northern San Diego County, allowing time to plan for a long-term corridor solution. The project restored a historic dune system to provide a natural buffer to protect this critical highway from frequent flooding while helping to restore and preserve the natural habitat along this stretch of Cardiff State Beach.
Piedras Blancas Realignment Project
To address chronic shoreline erosion in San Luis Obispo County near Big Sur, Caltrans shifted a nearly 3-mile stretch of Highway 1 inland (east) between 80 to 475 feet. Completed in 2017, the $21 million realignment better protected this treasured roadway from coastal erosion and restores the natural functions of nearby creeks through the construction of three separated bridges, improved access to nearby trails and restored wetland and lagoon systems, creating new habitat for coastal species including the beloved elephant seals.
State Route 217 San Jose Creek Bridge Replacement
Caltrans completed the new San Jose Creek Bridge in Santa Barbara County in 2025. The upgraded $24 million bridge includes design features allowing it to be raised up to 3.5 feet to accommodate future sea-level rise without the need to replace the structure. The new bridge is also wider to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian travel and improves multimodal travel for the community and travelers along State Route 217.
Strengthening Transportation Resiliency Across California
Separately, Caltrans has released the CCVRA, a tool designed to help state and local agencies evaluate and prioritize infrastructure funding for projects that will make critical transportation infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather events, including the forecasted El Niño. The CCVRA integrates advanced technology and a risk methodology to assess State Highway System transportation assets statewide, identifying those at risk from sea-level rise, coastal erosion, wildfires, riverine flooding, and landslides through the year 2100. Results are available in user-friendly formats with GIS mapping, enabling planners, designers, and maintenance staff to apply findings to future projects. The CCVRA builds on Caltrans’ foundational 2019 assessment and integrates with California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment, advancing the prioritization of climate adaptation projects.
Caltrans has already begun to use the CCVRA to implement climate adaptation. Over the next few months, staff will identify critical infrastructure locations with severe climate impacts. This information will be used to update the Department’s existing District Adaptation Project Investment Strategy list.
Maintenance crews are completing field maintenance to prepare infrastructure for winter storms, and tools like the CCVRA can help inform crews where critical projects are needed. In addition, Project Initiation Documents are already underway for some climate adaptation projects, such as a landslide mitigation project on State Route 96 in Siskiyou County, and a Sea Level Rise mitigation project on State Route 61 in Alameda County.
Click here to learn more about the 2026 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVRA).
Caltrans’ commitment to climate adaptation, operational excellence, and transparent coordination with CalSTA, local partners, and the traveling public. Collectively, these actions demonstrate an integrated approach, evidence based forecasting, proactive local planning, and state level communication working in concert to reduce risk and keep California moving.
For more information about transportation and other infrastructure projects funded with state and federal investments, visit build.ca.gov.