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Sea-level rise proposals for Highway 101 in Marin County
There are two proposals to address a stretch of Highway 101 in Marin County that is especially vulnerable to sea-level rise. Any solution is going to be expensive, but not as expensive as doing nothing at all.
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.
The tunnel is the brainchild of UC Berkeley Professor Kristina Hill, an environmental planning expert. "The tunnel might be, I don't know, a quarter mile long," said Professor Hill.
Her logic is clear. "It allows one move that we would make in the next 30 years that would last for a very long time without needing to be raised or added to by future generations," said Hill.
Similar to Posey Tube
The tunnel would be constructed in a dug-out trench and then covered up, oblivious to any and all sea level rise, like the Alameda's Posey Tube. Though a tunnel might be more expensive, it would likely be far less intrusive on traffic during construction since it's underground.
We asked Highway 101 commuters in Mill Valley. "I think it's a good idea. You know, I'm sure it's going to have to be approved and voted on; probably will be costly, but I would definitely vote for that," said commuter Julie Biondi. "If they can make a channel like they have between London and Paris and undersea tunnel, which seems to work there, that would be great," said commuter Rabbi Shlomo Zarchi.
MTC, always open to innovation, will weigh and compare the above and underground plans. "Most people would rather have minimal disruption because these things are going to have a huge impact," said the Rabbi. "A tunnel is a legacy. That's something future generations will thank us for," said the professor.
Though a flooded freeway will affect a lot more people than just the folks who live and work around here, the folks who remain at sea level must have some sort of remediation, perhaps a seawall. Then the entirety of the problem can be concluded.
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