Port updates Embarcadero Seawall plan, outlines 11 early projects and wide funding gap
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Summary
Port staff told the Citizens General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee that the Embarcadero Seawall is 'past its prime,' the multi-hazard risk assessment estimates roughly $30 billion in potential damages by 2100, and 11 early projects have entered predesign with planning-level costs of $650 million–$3 billion; Army Corps and federal grants could unlock matching funds but Port matching will be required.
Port staff briefed the Citizens General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee on progress toward repairing and adapting the Embarcadero Seawall, saying the seawall and its associated historic waterfront infrastructure are at risk from earthquakes and sea-level rise and that early, near-term projects are intended to improve safety and disaster response while the city pursues larger, longer-term investments.
"By now, all of you are very familiar with the Embarcadero Seawall," Steven Reel, deputy program manager for engineering and project delivery, told the committee. Reel summarized the Embarcadero Seawall multi-hazard risk assessment (MHRA), which the Port said estimates about $30,000,000,000 of damages and disruption by 2100 if no action is taken. He said the MHRA identified 23 potential early projects; 11 were recommended to advance to predesign, five were grouped into strategy development, and seven were flagged for additional funding and coordination.
Port presenters said the 2018 Embarcadero Seawall Earthquake Safety Bond proceeds and Port funds—together with a $5 million state grant to date—have supported planning and risk assessment work, and predesign for the 11 early projects will proceed through 2023. The Port presented a planning-level cost range of $650 million to $3 billion for the identified portfolio and emphasized the estimate reflects wide uncertainty. Port staff said they expect construction on some projects could start as early as 2024 and continue through 2028, but added that timing depends on securing additional funding.
The Port also described parallel work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps obtained a waiver to extend its flood study from 36 to 86 months and increase the study budget from $6 million to $16 million; Port staff said the Corps' process is the gatekeeper for certain federal funds, but any resulting federal investment would require Port matching funds. "If they determine that there is a project, this could unlock potentially billions of dollars in funding, which the Port will then have to match," Carlos Colon, waterfront program administrator, said.
Port fellow Skyler Poe described four federal grant efforts in the pipeline, including FEMA hazard-mitigation applications for retrofitting the Pier 1 bulkhead and developing an Embarcadero resilience master plan, and a DOT RAISE application for an Arguello/streets-and-rail component. Poe said awards were pending and that matches—25% for many FEMA programs and 20% for the referenced RAISE application—would be sought from bond-eligible or harbor funds.
Committee members pressed presenters on whether early projects are permanent or interim. Reel characterized the approach as "adaptation," saying some projects will be built to higher, long-lived standards (for example, full replacement of a wharf-seawall segment) while other near-term investments are intended to extend life and improve response capability without being the century-long fix. Members also asked about the Port's prior short-term lending to bridge funding gaps; Port staff confirmed temporary loans required Port Commission and Board of Supervisors approvals and said that process took months.
The committee received no public comment on the port presentation and took no immediate action; staff said more detailed budget and schedule recommendations will follow as predesign completes and specific projects are scoped for detailed design and environmental review.
