The Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) has launched the Sea Level Rise Roadway Impact Study (the study) to identify and prioritize Mendocino County and city-managed coastal roads throughout Mendocino County that are most vulnerable to sea level rise. Flooding, erosion, and storm surge are already affecting many low-lying roads and bridges, with impacts expected to worsen as the climate changes. This study is a crucial first step in planning potential roadway adaptation strategies, addressing Mendocino’s most pressing climate-related transportation challenges, and helping to protect our coastal communities by ensuring safe, reliable transportation access now and into the future.
Using grant funding from Caltrans, the study will evaluate a thorough list of potentially at-risk roadways and narrow them down to five key locations for focused planning analysis. These sites will be selected based on climate vulnerability, engineering feasibility, community impact, and other factors. Please keep in mind that while the study cannot address all potentially at-risk sites, it will lay the groundwork for future planning and funding opportunities in the most urgent areas.
Old Coast Highway in Gualala, at risk of being impacted by cliff erosion .
After selecting the top five locations, the project team will explore adaptation options to account for the current and future effects of climate change, with the goal of preventing or minimizing harm. Adaptation options may include elevating or realigning roads, improving drainage, using natural shoreline buffers, or designing flood protection systems. In some areas, alternate routing or gradually moving buildings and roads to safer ground may also be considered. After developing adaptation options for each of the five selected locations, the study will evaluate the benefits, risks and feasibility of each option and recommend a preferred adaptation approach for that location.
Community input is a vital part of this process. Your feedback will help identify at-risk sites and guide strategies that reflect the needs of residents, businesses, and emergency services. If there is a road that you think would be a good candidate for evaluation, please email info@MendocinoSLRstudy.org. Please note that just because a road is recommended for consideration does not mean it will become one of the five sites selected for further analysis. However, it is still helpful for us to include as a possible site for future planning efforts.