The Brief
- The Metropolitan Transportation Commission released a tentative plan to deal with sea-level rise in Marin County over the next quarter century.
- A particularly vulnerable stretch of Highway 101 lies between Sausalito and Mill Valley.
- One proposal, by a UC Berkeley professor, is to build a quarter-mile long underwater tunnel.
MARIN CITY, California – Some of the most vulnerable public assets to sea level rise are ocean side and bay side roads and transit. A plan looking at the next quarter-century confirms that whatever we do will be expensive, but not as expensive as doing nothing at all.
Plan for sea-level rise
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission released a tentative plan to deal with sea level rise that’s worsening.
“A projection of $96 billion of investment from now through 2050 to protect against sea level rise,” said Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesperson John Goodwin.
The Bay Area poster child for sea level rise is Highway 101 on the Marin City bay shore between Sausalito and Mill Valley. Building a bridge or raising the road level would cost roughly $1.2 billion, plus stormwater infrastructure costs. “Interestingly enough, an article appears today that proposes a tunnel that would go underneath these vulnerable lands,” said Goodwin.…