SFMTA and Port launch Embarcadero Connectivity Plan; Port study estimates $13.5 billion in potential resilience costs

SFMTA transportation planner Casey Leadham and Port planner Adam Barrett outlined a two‑year Embarcadero Connectivity Plan on Jan. 16 to coordinate transportation improvements with the Port of San Francisco's waterfront resilience work.

"Our project has two main goals: one is to address any potential transportation impacts from the port's future waterfront resilient work, and the second is to envision a future waterfront transportation system that will benefit generations to come," Leadham said.

Barrett placed the connectivity work in the context of a broader U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study. "We had an initial high level preliminary cost estimate of $13,500,000,000 to build this out," he said, and added that if the Corps' plan is authorized by Congress the federal government could cover up to 65% of construction costs.

Presenters said the Embarcadero corridor already supports about 95,000 trips daily, including transit, historic streetcars, ferries, bikes and pedestrians, and that the plan will analyze how to maintain access and mobility during both near‑term construction and longer‑term shoreline elevation or rebuilding.

Council members asked how projects would be sequenced relative to port reconstruction, whether elevated shorelines would reduce space for modes, and how ferry and Muni access for people with disabilities would be preserved during construction. SFMTA said it is in an early public‑engagement phase and will develop alternatives for the corridor, adjacent network and access points.

SFMTA requested feedback and offered a project contact email for comments: Embarcaderoconnectivity@sfmta.com. The council did not vote on the plan; staff said the public outreach will continue through multiple phases.