Palo Alto study session focuses on REACH 2 flood project as JPA weighs $120M-plus options

A study session at the Palo Alto City Council on REACH 2 — the next phase of San Francisco Creek flood protection — laid out alternatives that combine channel widening, flood walls and bridge replacement to contain the flood-of-record flow and reduce risk to thousands of homes.

The San Francisco Creek Joint Powers Authority’s executive director, Margaret Bruce, told the council the project goal is “to provide protection up to the flood of record,” which the JPA and consultants modeled at about 7,200 cubic feet per second. Bruce said higher-resolution hydrologic modeling shows the channel has roughly 25% less capacity than engineers previously estimated, requiring a larger set of interventions than earlier plans.

Why it matters: REACH 2 would affect properties and infrastructure in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. The JPA stressed the project must balance flood protection with habitat and public access while coordinating funding and permitting across five agencies. Early cost estimates: a near-term widening/top-of-bank flood-wall phase could cost roughly $20–25 million; replacing the Pope-Chaucer bridge and associated works was put at roughly $100 million (rough, order-of-magnitude figures provided by staff).

Key details and options

- Project goal and context: Bruce and Council Member Greg Stone (Palo Alto’s JPA representative and board chair) reminded the council that REACH 2 aims to contain a return to the 1998 flow. Bruce said improved modeling and recent flood events (including New Year’s Eve 2022) showed more capacity is needed than earlier designs assumed.

- Components under study: WRA Incorporated’s alternatives include varying degrees of channel widening (north-side or south-side), top-of-bank flood walls, replacement of the Pope-Chaucer bridge with an open span, and targeted measures near Middlefield Road. Staff also proposed a preliminary feasibility study of a bypass tunnel; JPA staff emphasized any tunnel, if feasible, would not eliminate the need for walls or widening but might reduce wall sizes in places.

- Technology and safety measures: Caltrain and VTA partnership examples were cited. Stone described technologies already tested at Churchill — video and lidar intrusion detection (branded as RailSentry),…