(note: this text comes directly from the seawall program website)

The Embarcadero Seawall was built more than 100 years ago and was designed before engineers understood how to build infrastructure to survive earthquakes. For more than a century the Seawall has served us well, but it is now in need of significant improvements to withstand the next major earthquake and protect us from an increase in flooding from sea level rise.

In 2015, the Port of San Francisco launched the San Francisco Seawall Earthquake Safety and Disaster Prevention Program, a major City and Port effort to significantly improve earthquake safety and performance of the Embarcadero Seawall, provide near-term flood protection improvements, and plan for additional long-term resilience and adaptation of the northern Bayfront.

Seismic improvements to the Embarcadero Seawall will require local, state, and federal partnerships for project legislation, permitting, and funding. Immediate life safety upgrades may exceed $500 million and full infrastructure improvements are estimated to cost up to $5 billion. To date, the City has invested nearly $10 million for project planning. San Francisco’s FY 2018-2027 Capital Plan includes a proposed $425 million General Obligation bond for the November 2018 ballot to help protect and strengthen the Embarcadero Seawall. The bond will require two-thirds voter approval and will not raise tax rates.

More information on the Seawall Earthquake Safety and Disaster Prevention Program can be found here.