Dimensions - Winter 2015 - 8

vision: innovation

The FTA's new HMCE Tool was adapted from the
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's
Benefit-Cost Analysis Tool. Dewberry developed
both analysis programs, allowing for consistent
methodology in evaluating candidate projects.

Improving Transit
System Resilience
New Program Evaluates Project Cost-Effectiveness Against Risk
A new cost analysis tool has helped more than ten transit

the built environment. Hazard frequency and economic

agencies obtain federal grants to increase the resilience

factors such as the useful life of the mitigation project

of public transportation facilities against multi-hazard

and lost transit service are also reviewed.

threats. The Hazard Mitigation Cost Effectiveness

Evaluation criteria for capital projects focused on the

(HMCE) Tool was developed by Dewberry for the Federal

ability to reduce risk to public transportation assets from

Transit Administration (FTA) to assist agencies in

future natural disasters. Examples include elevating or

assessing the benefit-cost analysis of proposed resilience

relocating assets in special flood hazard areas, protecting

projects eligible for post-Superstorm Sandy grants in

assets vulnerable to high winds, and installing mitigation

Washington, D.C., and 12 impacted states throughout the

measures to prevent the intrusion of floodwaters into

Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

underground segments of transportation systems.

Through a competitive process, the FTA awarded
nearly $3.6 billion for resilience projects under the

Promoting Resilience

FTA Emergency Relief Program and the Disaster Relief

As a subconsultant to PMO Partnership, Dewberry

Appropriations Act of 2013. Grant recipients, located

created the HMCE Tool in just two months and

in post-Sandy Presidentially declared disaster areas,

provided live and web-based training programs for

were required to use the HMCE Tool to evaluate the

agencies seeking FTA funding. The Dewberry team

cost-effectiveness of transit resilience projects.

also generated an auxiliary tool, the Coastal Flooding

Evaluating Costs Against Risk

Recurrence Interval (RI) Calculator, to aid the HMCE
evaluations. The RI Calculator estimates a consistent

The HMCE Tool, programmed to operate in Microsoft

set of RIs for recorded coastal flood elevations and

Excel for ease of use, enables agencies to input project

accounts for the impact of sea level rise. Dewberry also

information and cost estimates, and evaluate those

joined FTA representatives in presenting the HMCE

costs against potential pre- and post-resilience damages.

Tool's effectiveness in promoting resilience at the federal

Factors include probability of damage, value and

government's October 2014 Inter-Agency Forum on

vulnerability of the asset, and the severity of the threat to

Climate Change in Washington, D.C.

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8

Dimensions

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http://www.dewberry.com/news/blog/post/blog/2014/12/11/accounting-for-sea-level-rise-impacts-on-coastal-flood-elevations
Dimensions - Winter 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dimensions - Winter 2015
