The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has given the Port of Oakland and the City of Oakland a $3 million grant for Sustainable Transportation Planning and Climate Adaptation Planning.
The funding will be used to mitigate possible floods caused by sea level rise (SLR) and groundwater intrusion (GWI).
Director of Environmental Programs and Planning, Colleen Liang, said: “Sea level rise and groundwater intrusion pose an existential threat to the port and city. 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.”
The plan developed by the port and the city is titled Rising Seas and Oakland’s Infrastructure and Frontline Communities: Climate Adaptation Planning for Neighborhood-led Resiliency Project. It comprises carrying out an asset inventory and vulnerability assessment. The project focuses on the predicted SLR and GWI for the port and surrounding Oakland neighbourhoods.
The port will reportedly donate $1.5 million towards the $4.5 million renovation.
The Port of Oakland administers roughly 20 miles of San Francisco Bay coastal property, which is vulnerable to future extreme weather occurrences. This contains important transportation infrastructure including San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, the Oakland Seaport, and public transit.
The project aims to simulate the implications of SLR, GWI, and liquefaction in the immediate and long term (2030, 2050, 2100) and will also look into adaptive options to address the identified weaknesses. The port noted that the community is critical to guiding and informing the project.
The port and city will involve the community from the outset of the project and throughout its execution.
Recently, the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners authorised a $19.3 million agreement to purchase solar power for the next 20 years.