Coastal Flooding on Transportation Infrastructures: Systematic Review of Patterns, Impacts, and Methodologies

Critical transportation infrastructure—central to societal well being and economic activity—is facing increasingly severe risks from coastal flooding intensified by climate change and sea-level rise. Although the vulnerability of low-lying transportation networks is widely recognized, existing research on their complex and often systemic failure mechanisms remains fragmented across disparate disciplines, highlighting the need for a systematic synthesis to guide resilient decision-making. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic literature review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, synthesizing findings from 83 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2025. Results reveal a clear evolution in the field, shifting from isolated single-hazard assessments toward more comprehensive evaluations of compound coastal events. However, three major deficiencies are identified. First, aligning with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report hazard typology, the review identified a widespread omission of preconditioned events, specifically vertical land motion and subsidence. Second, a methodological disconnect exists between hydraulic modeling approaches and structural engineering analyses, limiting integrated risk characterization. Third, the literature exhibits strong model skew, with approximately 70% of studies exclusively targeting roadway systems, thereby overlooking cascading, system-level disruptions across critical intermodal nodes such as ports and railways. These findings underscore the need for next-generation modeling frameworks that integrate nonclimatic drivers, capture multimodal interdependencies, and support probabilistic, forward-looking, evidence-based adaptation strategies for coastal transportation resilience.