Why this matters
Climate change is costing government agencies across the country millions of dollars to adapt to rising sea levels, more severe weather events and other climate-related effects.
Imperial Beach officials want to flood-proof a popular bikeway along the city’s shoreline, but unstable federal funding could stall construction.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency placed a $15.7 million grant for the city’s Bayshore Bikeway Resiliency Project on a waitlist, city staff told the Tidelands Advisory Committee last week. The five-member group helps advise the City Council on coastal and tideland issues.
The project would target a roughly 1-mile stretch from State Route 75 to 10th Street, near the Bayside neighborhood that is prone to coastal and stormwater flooding. Officials estimate sea levels could rise by 3.5 feet by 2050 and will drastically increase the risk of flooding in the area.
In recognition of the risks, the bikeway project aims to prevent flooding — as well as improve access to and along the bikeway, preserve surrounding natural habitat and “provide opportunities for future economic development and recreation,” according to the project’s website.
The city was originally promised another $15 million grant in 2021 via a FEMA program that the Trump administration canceled last year, said Dennis Larson, co-founder of Nexus Planning and Research, a city-contracted consultant for the project.
In response, Larson said the city applied for a different grant under FEMA last year that focused more on reducing or mitigating future disaster losses. That could include funding upgrades to stormwater drains or installing levees to prevent flooding to nearby homes and businesses during severe storms.
The previously canceled FEMA program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, was later brought back following legal action. Still, the city can only use one of the two grants, officials said.
The state agency that distributes FEMA funds is “keeping their options open as much as possible given the uncertainty” of the federal administration, Imperial Beach Director of Environmental and Natural Resources Chris Helmer said during a call with inewsource.
“It’s totally uncertain,” Helmer acknowledged, “but that’s not necessarily affecting our project right now.”
The project is still moving forward with its design phase, and the city and partnering agencies “got a couple years to put together” the construction funding, he said.
Larson said the project could cost up to $27 million.
Imperial Beach does not own the site, and instead helps manage the project with the multiple government agencies involved.
Officials have proposed three options for the bikeway retrofitting: elevate portions prone to flooding; build a bridge; or remove and reroute the bikeway.
No matter the option, crews will construct a “living levee” with a minimum crest of 12.5 feet. The project also calls for separate pedestrian and cyclist paths along the bikeway and a tide gate and multi-purpose detention basin at the nearby Bayside Elementary School, according to a feasibility study.
Learn more about the project here.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
