California's Port of Oakland awarded funding for flood vulnerability assessment

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently awarded the Port of Oakland and the City of Oakland US$3 million for a Sustainable Transportation Planning – Climate Adaptation Planning grant. The funds will address potential flooding due to sea level rise (SLR) and groundwater intrusion (GWI).

The project entails conducting an asset inventory and vulnerability assessment and focuses on projected SLR and GWI for the port and adjacent Oakland neighbourhoods. The Port of Oakland will contribute US$1.5 million to help fund the US$4.5 million project.

The nearly 20 miles (32 kilometres) 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.

The project will model projected impacts of near and long-term (2030, 2050, 2100) SLR, GWI, and liquefaction. It will also seek adaptation strategies to combat the identified vulnerabilities.