Encircling 306-acre Miller/Knox
Regional Shoreline and adjacent to the Point
Richmond Historic District, the Ferry Point Loop includes
Kaiser Shipyard 3 as part of Rosie
The Riveter/WW II National Historical Park. Shipyard
3 is the only place where WW II ship building facilities remain
in the U.S., i.e. six buildings and five dry dock basins. as
well as the S.S. Red Oak Victory and a Whirley Crane used in
the Kaiser shipyards. In late 2011, the Port of Richmond began
improvements to the Shipyard 3 Trail, including overlooks
from a hillside above the terminal as well as the historic
ship basins with engaging exhibits interpreting Shipyard 3’s
role during WWII.
TRAC
is working with the City to close the
following gaps on the Ferry Point Loop:
Shipyard 3/Brickyard Cove Rd. 0.27 miles
Brickyard Landing/Dornan Drive 0.30
Ferry Point Tunnel/Cutting Blvd. 0.16
The planned 0.5-mile trail on the City’s former Terminal
One property east from end of Dornan Drive and along shoreline
looping back to Brickyard Cove Road is expected to be built
as part of an unknown future development project.
Shipyard 3 Trail to Brickyard Cove Rd. & Brickyard
Landing to Dornan Drive:The City of Richmond’s Engineering
Service Dept. has prepared a 90% construction design for
both of these trail segments with a goal of completing construction
in 2012.
The $450,000 in grant funds from EBRPD's Measure WW local
grant program and ABAG's Bay Trail Project are insufficient
to build these trail sections, and about $126,000 in
additional funds are needed.
Richmond Plunge Ferry Point Tunnel to Cutting
Blvd: The
City began construction design in January 2012 following a
preliminary design prepared by TRAC. Design
is funded by a $20,000 grant from ABAG’s Bay Trail
Project and TRAC’s $5,000 Cox Conserves Heroes Award
supplemented with $20,000 from the City of Richmond capital
projects general fund. The Point Richmond Gateway Foundation
awarded TRAC a $1,500 grant in December 2011 as seed money
for construction, which is estimated to cost $375,000. Contributions
are needed to demonstrate strong community support in
seeking additional grants. You may contribute
to this project by printing the Donation
Form and sending it with a check to the San
Francisco Bay Trail Project.
As shown on the Richmond Bay Trail map, this is the hub
of the Bay Trail in Richmond where the following completed
Bay Trail routes converge:
- the Ferry
Point Loop encircling Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline and
including the Kaiser Shipyard 3 Trail in the Rosie The
Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park (NHP),
- the Spine Bay Trail arriving from Albany through Point
Isabel Regional Shoreline and the Marina Bay system of
shoreline parks also included in the NHP and
- the Spine
Bay Trail coming from Richmond's northern shoreline with
the three-mile Landfill Loop Trail and a new one-mile Bay
Trail connection with Wildcat Creek Regional Trail.
Located
between the Point Richmond Historic District and Washington
Elementary School campus, this trail section passes through
a very busy recreational area, including the renovated
Plunge, Judge George Carrol Park with its softball field & YMCA day care center and Point Richmond Gateway
Park with the historic Santa Fe Train Master’s Building.
A Class I trail completely separated from Garrard Blvd.
will be built without reducing the number of motor vehicle
parking spaces . Curb extensions will reduce the length
of crosswalks and improve pedestrian safety at the intersection
of Garrard Blvd. and E. Richmond Ave.
The importance of the project is illustrated by the following
quotes from letters of support for the construction design
grant.
Washington School PTA President Isabel Vazquez: “Many
of our families currently use the existing Bay Trail along
Cutting Boulevard each day to help get their children to
and from Washington Elementary School. With this proposed
extension, even more families will use the trail daily. With
the re-opening of the Plunge, this new portion will provide
our students and their families with safe routes to and from
the Plunge and other recreational opportunities along the
Ferry Point Loop of the Bay Trail, including Keller Beach
and the rest of Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline. This grant
project should be very helpful toward providing our children
and their families with clear, convenient and safer routes
to school as well as to nearby recreational opportunities.
The well being of our children is one of our top priorities,
and it should be yours too.”
Washington School Principal Lisa Levi: “Several times
during the school year our teachers take their students on
walking field trips and use the Ferry Point Tunnel and the
street next to the Plunge to get their kids to the park.
Many of our students have begun to use the Plunge and, of
course, many families use the Miller/Knox Regional Park after
school and on weekends. As Principal of Washington, I strongly
support the City’s application for a Bay Trail grant
for closure of Bay Trail gap along Garrard Blvd. between
Cutting and the Ferry Point Tunnel. I know you will agree
the safety of the children is a top priority.”
Please contribute to this project by printing the Donation
Form and sending it with a
check to the San Francisco Bay Trail Project.
Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline: EBRPD’s Board of Directors
has appropriated $1,177,000 for capital improvements to remove
tracks, fencing and re-grade railroad right of way to provide
public access from the park to the Bay and to Keller Beach,
as well as to renovate the meadow area and remove silt & vegetation
to keep the lagoon healthy. This will enhance access
to the currently derelict mile long western shoreline of
the park and may lead to an improved alignment of the Bay
Trail.
Click
Here to view a slide show show of the Ferry PoInt
Loop.
