The Port of Oakland and City of Oakland will share a $3 million state grant to fight the effects of sea level rise, thanks to a “Sustainable Transportation Planning - Climate Adaptation Planning” grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
The nearly 20 miles of San Francisco Bay shoreline property that the Port of Oakland oversees is vulnerable to future extreme weather events. This includes critical transportation infrastructure, such as San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, the Oakland Seaport, and public transportation. It also includes critical roadway infrastructure that provides freight and passenger connectivity to vital state, regional, and local economies, leaving disadvantaged communities in Oakland especially vulnerable.
To seek solutions, the Port will contribute $1.5 million to help fund a $4.5 million overall initiative, which is called “Rising Seas and Oakland’s Infrastructure and Frontline Communities: Climate Adaptation Planning for Neighborhood-led Resiliency Project.”
The approach entails conducting an asset inventory and vulnerability assessment, focused on potential flooding due to sea level rise (SLR) and groundwater intrusion (GWI). The Project will also model projected impacts of near and long-term (2030, 2050, 2100) SLR, GWI, and liquefaction, which occurs when soil temporarily acts more like a fluid, losing its capacity to support roads and structures. Finally, it will seek adaptation strategies to combat the identified vulnerabilities.
“Sea level rise and groundwater intrusion pose an existential threat to the Port and City,” Director of Environmental Programs and Planning Colleen Liang said in a release. “We are thankful to Caltrans for the award. We’ll use the funding to provide adaptation strategies for the Port, and the City of Oakland’s vulnerable communities.”
