Port of Redwood City Wharves 1 & 2 Replacement

This paper discusses the replacement of existing 60-year-old timber wharves with a new, multipurpose, concrete wharf and dolphins that are designed to meet the present demands for operational and seismic conditions, as well as climate change issues. Most of the waterfront structures constructed along the West Coast have been designed for both operational and seismic load conditions with nominal design lives of 25 to 50 years. However, with the relatively recent understanding of climate change and development of adaptive measures, new structures need to be designed for expected climate change issues including sea level rise, backland inundation, and protection of wildlife habitat. The author and his colleagues have recently completed the preliminary design and permitting of the first new wharf in the San Francisco Bay Area that includes operational, seismic, and sea level impact design requirements for a multipurpose marginal wharf and the adjacent shoreline. The design and permitting process is discussed and includes: operational constraints, design criteria, permitting coordination, climate change adaptive measures, instrumentation requirements, and path forward for future waterfront structures. This paper also discusses the various alternative sea level rise protection measures and associated construction costs, and lessons learned for future projects that address climate change.