- By Patrick Hoge :sfexaminer – excerpt (includes audio)
Streets and buildings along San Francisco’s Embarcadero — including the iconic Ferry Building — could eventually be raised up to 7 feet, according to a sweeping draft plan unveiled Friday that would spend an estimated $13 billion to defend The City’s urban waterfront against rising seas and flooding.
The massive infrastructure scheme, spearheaded by the Port of San Francisco and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, sketches out potential measures for the 7½ miles of bayfront land under the port’s control. It is the result of more than six years of study and public engagement over how to protect a center of economic activity and more than $100 billion worth of property from flooding.
“We are celebrating a major accomplishment today,” said Port Executive Director Elaine Forbes at a waterfront press conference outside the Ferry Building on Friday…
At the highest level, the draft plan centers on a seismically engineered, raised shoreline defense to manage 1½ to 3½ feet of sea-level rise, as well as potential flooding from extreme storms and tides, along the coastline stretching from the south end of Fisherman’s Wharf south to Heron’s Head Park. The City’s waterfront would remain where it is currently. The levels of protection vary by location.
Other San Francisco agencies are working to develop strategies to address coastal flood risk outside of the Port’s jurisdiction.…(more)