A stretch of the Adobe Creek Loop Trail in the Baylands closes Tuesday, Sept. 1, for two months while crews replace six water flow gates at a flood control structure built in 1957.

The 0.8-mile closure runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Valley Water, the regional water district serving Santa Clara County, is doing the work as part of its Palo Alto Flood Basin Tide Gate Structure Seismic Retrofit and Rehabilitation Project.

The tide gate sits where the flood basin meets San Francisco Bay, about half a mile northeast of the Byxbee Park parking lot. The structure keeps high-tide water out of the basin and lets it drain twice daily during low tides. Without it, the lower reaches of Matadero, Adobe and Barron creeks would flood, wildlife habitat in the basin would be swamped, and a portion of U.S. Highway 101 would lose flood protection.

Valley Water said on its project page that the concrete structure has deteriorated after decades in a corrosive marine environment. The agency described spalled concrete, exposed steel reinforcement and water seeping through cracks and leaky gate seals.

The City of Palo Alto posted the closure notice on Monday, Aug. 31, calling the work part of the agency's flood protection commitment. Flaggers will be on site when heavy equipment is operating. No detour route has been announced.

The project has two phases. Phase 1, a seismic retrofit designed to extend the existing structure's service life, is being built in two construction seasons: the first ran September 2025 through January 2026, and the second — covering this closure — runs September through October 2026. Valley Water announced a Phase 1 milestone in February 2026, between the two seasons, according to a Valley Water news release; the agency's project page currently lists this second season as 'on target.'

The project is funded through Valley Water's Watershed & Stream Stewardship Fund.

Residents with questions can contact Valley Water project staff at [email protected] or (408) 630-2266.