Our work on the 2045 Puerto Rico Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan

The Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) is responsible for defining the projects that shape multimodal transportation infrastructure in Puerto Rico.

In 2017, Steer was hired to prepare and update the 2045 Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan (LRTP), considering long-range transportation challenges. In August of 2017, Hurricanes Irma and María impacted the island, causing severe damages to the transportation infrastructure. Therefore, the client asked Steer to incorporate a vulnerability and resiliency analysis into the LRTP.

How we helped

Our project team prepared the Multimodal Transportation Plan for the island and individual plans for each of the Transportation Management Areas, focusing on the needs and vision of each region. This work entailed a series of outreach workshops to identify transportation needs, a financial resource analysis, a definition of specific projects for each modal component and a cost feasibility plan for implementation.

In addition to this, the team carried out a vulnerability analysis of the highway network across the island, considering both landslides and floods, for three different hazard scenarios. The result of this analysis was used to prioritize studies, repairs, and reinforcement measures in critical assets of the transportation network.

Successes & outcomes

The island-wide and three TMA-specific plans have been approved and adopted, and the short-term projects are already under implementation. The community can consult on it at: http://lrtp.steergroup.com.co/

Additionally, the resiliency analysis and project prioritization developed have been a major driver for the release and use of the emergency aid resources assigned by the Federal Government for the reconstruction of the island’s highway infrastructure.