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, MCOG has identified 14 potentially at-risk roadway segments and is seeking community input to help determine the five segments that will move forward with focused planning analysis. These sites will ultimately be selected based on frequency of use, climate vulnerability, engineering feasibility, community impact, and input , and other factorsgathered from the community survey and upcoming community workshops. For more information on how to get involved, please visit our Community Outreach page. 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.