Liaison reports design progress on Embarcadero seawall projects, flags federal involvement

A committee liaison provided the committee with an update on the 2018 Embarcadero Seawall Earthquake Safety geobond program, describing the program as a long-term, multi-decade effort requiring federal coordination and substantial funding.

The liaison said the Port of San Francisco is tracking 11 targeted projects in design and is planning to advertise several for bid in 2024, with one early item being the Wharf J9 replacement. The liaison reported that $49,000,675 of appropriations are expected to be expended by the end of this year and cited a total bond authorization figure of roughly $425 million. He emphasized the complexity of retrofitting or rebuilding structures below the waterline, the need to coordinate with federal partners (notably the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) for large-scale funding and engineering work, and the multi-billion-dollar scale of the long-term need.

Committee members thanked the liaison and indicated interest in future site visits and additional detail; no specific committee action was taken at the meeting.

Next steps: the liaison and port staff will continue design and coordination work and the committee expects future updates as projects move from design to bidding and construction.