Caltrans is studying how to keep the East Bay end of the Bay Bridge working as the bay rises. On Wednesday, the agency led residents and community groups on a tour of vulnerable spots near the toll plaza, ABC7 News reported.
"The area before the toll plaza, Radio Beach," Caltrans spokesperson Bart Ney said. "That particular area is a low level area that we want to be focused on because we don't want water coming on like we saw in the past." ABC7 reported that a low-lying section near the plaza flooded slightly in January.
What the study is
Caltrans District 4 describes a two-year adaptation planning feasibility study for the East Bay side of the bridge in Oakland, next to Emeryville. It covers flooding, sea level rise, storm surge, groundwater emergence and water quality. The goal is near- and long-term strategies that keep the bridge, connecting roads, transit, bike routes and emergency access working. The agency says sea levels may rise three feet or more by 2100.
Randolph Belle, whose firm RBA Creative is handling community outreach, told ABC7 that up to six feet of rise is projected over the next 75 years. "At about three feet...during a major weather event, the approach to the bridge is impacted," he said. Caltrans says the bridge carries as many as 280,000 vehicle trips a day.
It is planning, not construction
Officials stressed that this is long-range planning, not a construction project. Robert Prinz of Bike East Bay told ABC7 that the bridge's east span bike path, which opened in 2013, sits in a low area. Caltrans says the first round of engagement this fall includes workshops, focus groups, a text-message survey and a walking tour, with a second round on adaptation concepts in spring 2027. A recent UC Davis report also flagged the toll plaza approach as an El Niño flood risk.