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A six-mile stretch of road across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge opened Saturday for bicyclists and pedestrians. Christie Smith reports. (Published Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019)
A ceremony on Saturday dedicated a new six-mile segment of the Bay Trail connecting Marin and Contra Costa counties via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
Officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Bay Area Toll Authority, Caltrans District 4, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Chevron, Richmond, and the Transportation Authority of Marin were the speakers at the public dedication in Richmond.
The path across the bridge is a $20 million 4-year pilot program that converts the right shoulder on the bridge into a path open to bicyclists and pedestrians.
The new path is separated from auto traffic on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge by an moveable barrier on the bridge’s upper deck that can be repositioned by a “zipper” truck.
The project has been hailed by bicycle and trail activists, but criticized elsewhere over the cost and by those concerned about losing access to the shoulder for disabled vehicles.
