Physical-AI monitoring and decision-support for Oʻahu coastal highways

Coastal Highway Watch: Physical-AI Monitoring and Decision Support for Oʻahu’s Most Vulnerable Coastal Highways

Build a physical-AI monitoring and decision-support system for the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation ("HDOT") covering coastal road segments on Oʻahu that are already threatened by king tides, wave overwash, stream flooding, groundwater inundation, drainage failure, compound flooding, and coastal erosion, all of which sea level rise will make worse. A network of field sensors and repeat drone surveys feeds the team's existing coastal and hydrologic hazard models, and an online dashboard gives HDOT real-time and forecast-based information on road segments at risk, along with how erosion and overtopping hazards will evolve over time. Work begins with highway segments in Hauʻula, Kaʻaʻawa, Kualoa, and Waimānalo, with the potential to expand to other islands. The drones, pilots, and calibrated models are already in place, so each year's funds are spent within that year. For each road segment, HDOT receives an estimate of how quickly erosion is approaching the roadway and the swell-and-tide combinations likely to produce overtopping, products that support both daily operations (maintenance, closures, emergency response) and longer-term decisions about adaptation or relocation. Appropriate to the University of Hawaiʻi (UOH 100), SOEST Climate Resilience Collaborative, in partnership with HDOT Highways Division. Estimated cost: $650,000 per year in FY28 and FY29. Geography: Oʻahu.