The City of Berkeley is planning a second bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 80 at Gilman Street, which will connect you to the popular sports fields and Bay Trail on the west side of the freeway. Bike East Bay volunteers have been working to ensure that it is safe and easy for you to get on and off the bridge, which will be located at the high traffic intersection of I-80 freeway and Gilman St. After meeting with planners for the past year, Preston Jordan with the Albany Strollers & Rollers and Karen Parolek with the Berkeley Transportation Commission came up with a safe design solution. Check it out in this new video released by the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
The new bridge is part of a project to improve safety and congestion at the I-80/Gilman Street on-ramp in north Berkeley at the Albany border. The bridge will help connect you to the Bay Trail and the sports fields on the west side of I-80. We’re supporting the bridge landing on the south side of Gilman Street and a new new protected bike lane on Gilman Street up to Fourth Street. The bridge may look very similar to the existing bicycle and pedestrian bridge at Aquatic Park in Berkeley, creating a new iconic landmark for people walking and biking in Berkeley.
With safety and alignment issues resolved, Bike East Bay and our member advocates will work on finalizing the design later this year. In addition to the new bridge, Gilman Street will get a protected two-way cycle track heading east from the bridge to Fourth Street. The project will also close a short gap in the Bay Trail with a new pathway along the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex at the west landing of the bridge. Together, the project will create a well-connected alternative to navigating the new double roundabout planned for drivers getting on and off I-80.
We expect construction to start in 2019 and be ready for you to ride by early 2023. The bridge and freeway ramp safety improvements are funded by Measure BB, which you—our members and volunteers—campaigned for in 2014, winning $1 billion for better biking in Alameda County.
Thank you members! Your knowledge and experience on local streets helps Bike East Bay advocate for the best possible new bikeways. Let us know your thoughts, or learn how to become a member-advocate by getting in touch with our advocacy team at Advocacy@BikeEastBay.org.
