Bike East Bay has been working for access on this bridge since 1977 - just four years after we were founded.
On February 11 2016, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) Oversight Committee unanimously approved a four year trial of a 10 foot bicycle pedestrian path on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Construction is expected to begin in January 2017, and the new Bay Trail segment linking Marin to Contra Costa should open by March 2018.
The bike path on the upper deck of the Richmond San Rafael Bridge will be 10 feet wide, separated from cars by a concrete barrier similar to the one installed on the Golden Gate Bridge in January 2015
The Bridge path is a four year pilot, which will be evaluated by UC Berkeley.
In addition to the Bridge Path, there are significant permanent improvements planned which will help connect people walking and bicycling to the bridge and adjacent attractions:
- A new Class I protected path on the north shoulder of the freeway providing safe access to Point Molate. Bicyclists currently are legally allowed to ride on 580 as there is no other access. This new connection will make riding from Point Richmond to Point Molate a breeze.
- New bike lanes on Sir Francis Drake in San Rafael
- New bike path along Stenmark Drive
Once complete, the bridge bike path will be open 24/7.
We’re looking forward to taking this significant step forward towards bridging the bay. Mark your calendars for a Bike to Work Day 2018 Energizer Station on the Bridge!
Earlier update:
We are very encouraged by this version of the project brought to BATA for approval. An initial proposal from BATA and Caltrans was for a substandard width path that would not have been safe for 2-way bicycle traffic, nor given access to pedestrians. Along with our fellow advocates at CalBike, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, TRAC and the Bay Trail we pushed for the 10 foot separated pathway.
File attachment:
03 Gate 6 Plans v160615 (dated 5-24-2016).pdf
Bay Bridge Richmond