Foster City begins levee improvement project

Sheet pile installation has nearly been completed in the southern section area, which runs from the project limit around Port Royal Avenue to Shorebird Park, and work has started for subgrade excavation, compaction and preparation for base material placement. An additional staging area to stockpile soil and sheet piles has been added south of Shorebird Park in the narrow, open area between the Bay Trail and Beach Park Boulevard.

The city will reduce the speed limit on a section of Beach Park Boulevard to 25 mph when appropriate signs can be installed and make changes to the vehicle and bike lanes. PG&E will also dig to identify underground utilities from Foster City Boulevard to Wheelhouse Lane starting Jan. 25 for two to three weeks.

Construction began in October and will continue through 2023. It will take place Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays subject to City Council approval. The city will have street sweeping and dust control measures to deal with extra trucks and construction activity.

The project seeks to strengthen the Foster City levee system, which surrounds most of the city’s outer Bayfront perimeter. The improvements should also help protect the city from flood hazards and storms and prevent the Federal Emergency Management Agency from designating Foster City a flood zone, increasing flood insurance for most homeowners. The levee project will cause traffic delays and closures to various parts of the levee trail for the next few years.

“I am pleased with the input. I am pleased with the progress that is being made, and I look forward to more digestible reports and continued communication both to the council and the public on the project,” Councilman Jon Froomin said at the Foster City Council meeting Tuesday.

The city has also launched a proactive communications plan designed to update the public. The city is working with Tripepi Smith, a marketing agency based in Irvine, to coordinate a plan. Ryder Smith, CEO of Tripepi Smith, said a six-person team is working on a communications plan that includes a standalone project website launch in January, more community engagement on social media and community question-and-answer sessions. There will also be more regular project video updates and bi-weekly virtual or in-person public meetings.

“There’s an excellent team in place, and we are surging in as a force multiplier to help out city staff to advance some of the communication initiatives and be proactive with additional measures to further expand the levee communications,” Smith said.

City Manager Peter Pirnejad said the city knew it needed to engage and communicate with residents through various platforms to ensure the public is being listened to and heard. The City Council also stressed the importance of a coherent communications plan to provide quick, transparent and accurate information to the public, which has been lacking from the city in the past.

“The timing of this couldn’t be better to really influence the majority of our population with facts, with transparency and also address the concerns of those that are deeply unhappy about what’s happening,” Mayor Sanjay Gehani said. “I do think there’s a large percentage of our population that’s really down the middle, and we have a great opportunity to mobilize them with facts.”

“It will take some time for us to re-establish the trust and the transparency that our community expects from us,” Vice Mayor Richa Awasthi said. “I acknowledge this is a big change for our community, and I am very thankful they are patient, and they are understanding of the importance of this project and that it has caused a disruption, and I also agree that it also provides an opportunity.”

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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