[Update: June 21,2021]
From July 6, 2021 to October 3, 2021, there will be no access for people who bike or walk between the Bay Bridge path and Yerba Buena Island.
Once construction is finished, upgrades for bicyclists and pedestrians will include a sidewalk and dedicated bike path on Macalla Road. And the access will be permanent: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Read the full update from San Francisco County Transportation Authority.
Back in October, bike access from the East Span of the Bay Bridge onto Yerba Buena Island (and Treasure Island) was closed weekdays due to heavy construction activity on new freeway on and off ramps. Meanwhile, car traffic is down, and biking across bridges has never been higher: with the Bay Bridge path seeing a 77% increase in crossings since shelter in place began. Bike East Bay is at the table again: advocating for your access on the Bay Bridge Bike Path and eventual connections to the West Span. Read on for the latest and learn more about Bike East Bay’s advocacy bridging the Bay.
Earlier this month we met with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) on the bridge to see how construction activity was progressing. While construction is ahead of schedule, the SFCTA still needs another 4-6 months to complete the staging activity that currently blocks the bike path connection to Macalla Road during the week.
After that round of construction activity is completed, the SFCTA will rebuild the permanent bike path connection to Macalla Road, but this rebuilding effort will require full closure of the bike path for 3 additional months, weekends included. We have asked that this 3-month closure take place before, not during, Summer 2021. We have agreed to continue meeting and have a site visit in early March to take another look at how construction is advancing.
Once the new East Side ramps are complete and the bike connection rebuilt, bike access will remain on Macalla Road for another 2-3 years as SFCTA rebuilds the West Side ramps. After completion of the West Side ramps, there will be new bikeways on much of Yerba Buena Island, including on Hillcrest Road and then new bikeways on Macalla Road. But one piece still needs to be funded on Treasure Island Road: the eventual connecting piece to a bike path on the West Span. Learn more about Bike East Bay’s advocacy work bridging the Bay today.
