Out along the edge of San Francisco Bay, just beyond the departing jets, crews are quietly fortifying one of Oakland airport’s least glamorous but most critical assets: the long, low dike that keeps the runways from turning into tidal flats.
Phase 2 of the Airport Perimeter Dike improvement project at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport is moving toward finishing work, with teams strengthening a stretch of the 4.5-mile dike that separates the airfield from the Bay. This round relies on cement deep soil mixing to stiffen soft bay sediments and is scheduled to wrap up in the third quarter of 2026. It follows a $30 million Phase 1 job completed in 2022 that raised part of the dike to meet FEMA standards.
Who Is Doing The Work And How
Granite Construction holds the primary contract for the Phase 2 seismic upgrades and says it is using cement deep soil mixing (CDSM) to form columns of improved ground beneath the levee to reduce the risk of failure in a major earthquake. According to Granite Construction, the CDSM scope covers roughly 4,200 linear feet and tens of thousands of cubic yards of treated material, and the firm expects construction to finish in Q3 2026. The work also includes restoring riprap revetment and the perimeter road after the ground improvements are in place.
The Engineering Behind The Fix
Industry reporting notes that the project trades some older stabilization methods for CDSM to stiffen bay mud and limit liquefaction and settlement during shaking. As reported by Construction Equipment Guide, the contract scope includes temporary work pads, wetlands protections, and steps to safeguard on-site utilities while crews operate inside the air operations area. Engineers say those measures help the dike stand up to both seismic loading and the chronic pressures of sea-level rise.
Money, Scale And Where The Funding Comes From
Phase 1 of the Airport Perimeter Dike improvements cost about $30 million and was wrapped up in 2022, when the Port raised sections of the dike an extra foot above FEMA requirements. Port documents show that Phase 2 has drawn federal and state grant support alongside Port capital funding, and Granite’s award covers the core CDSM work for the current construction season. The Port describes the Airport Perimeter Dike as stretching roughly 4.5 miles along the shoreline between Alameda and San Leandro and notes that the structure was originally built in the 1950s to protect the airport’s reclaimed land.
What Completion Means For Flights And Freight
When Phase 2 is finished later this year, contractors and officials say the strengthened dike will be better able to resist deformation during a large quake and reduce the chances of a breach that could flood runways and disrupt operations. Granite says the CDSM columns are intended to limit ground movement and preserve the perimeter road and revetment after shaking. For the region, the upgrades bolster the airport’s ability to support passenger service, cargo movement, and emergency-response operations in the event of a major storm or seismic event.
