POINT SAN PABLO PENINSULA
A Bay Trail spur is planned to
run from Point Richmond under I-580, through Point
Molate and around Point San Pablo to terminate at the Point San
Pablo Yacht Harbor. As shown on the property
ownership map (Acrobat.PDF),
this land is owned by Chevron and the City of Richmond with
the exception of Caltrans’ I-580 corridor. Also
see the Point San Pablo Peninsula
/ Point Molate website.
 A
critical problem is the lack of a Bay Trail connection between
Point Richmond and the south side of the Richmond/San Rafael
Bridge toll plaza area where an existing trail built by Caltrans
runs under the bridge to Western Drive. This situation was created
in 1956 when the City of Richmond vacated portions of Western
Drive and other public streets and gave them to Standard OIl
Company, which now is Chevron Corporation.To
address this problem, Chevron, the City and ABAG Bay Trail Project
funded the July 31, 2001 “Feasibility Study of Bay Trail
Routes to the Point San Pablo Peninsula” with participation
by BCDC, Caltrans, EBRPD and TRAC.
It
was agreed by consensus in 2001 that a route running from the
end of Tewksbury Avenue over Chevron property bordering the
I-580 corridor to reach the south side of the Toll Plaza area
would meet Chevron's security concerns while providing a workable,
although not optimal, Bay Trail connection with the Point San
Pablo Peninsula.
Preferred Bay Trail Route From End of Tewksbury Avenue
Above Retraining Wall on South Side of I-580 to Existing Trail
Under Bridge.
 On
July 21, 2009 the City Council voted to award a $1.6 million
contract to Questa Engineering to prepare a project
study report plus CEQA and construction documents for closing
the dangerous gap in the Bay Trail between Castro Street
and the existing trail under the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge.
The long-awaited initiation of design for this project resulted
from Chevron's agreement to join in a cooperative effort
involving the City of Richmond, Caltrans and ABAG Bay Trail
Project.
Questa's contract is funded from a $3 million Bay
Trail account established from the settlement for Chevron's
underpayment of utility taxes. Chevron has committed to convey
the needed trail easement once the trail alignment has been
pinned down.
By year end 2010, Questa had evaluated alternatives
after conducting field reconnaissance along the trail
corridor, holding scoping meetings with stakeholders
and sub-consultants, and gathering information regarding
existing opportunities, constraints and design criteria.
The information gathered was reviewed during a public
workshop on Jan. 25, 2011 where community advice on priorities
was sought and obtained.
On December 1, 2011, the City of Richmond’s
Engineering Services Department hosted a meeting to
inform community members about the planned San Francisco
Bay Trail Connection from Castro Street to Point Molate,
and to gather public input on trail alternatives. The
meeting was attended by approximately 45 people, including
City Councilmember Tom Butt, District Representative
Nathan Rapp from the Office of State Senator Loni Hancock,
and representatives from the Association of Bay Area
Governments’ (ABAG) Bay Trail, Richmond Bicycle/Pedestrian
Advisory Committee (RBPAC), Trails for Richmond Action
Committee (TRAC), and Chevron. A presentation on
the selection process for the recommended trail alternative
was given by Questa Engineering Corporation of Richmond. The
recommended trail alternative received broad support
from members of the community, in addition to representatives
from ABAG, RBPAC, and TRAC, with many in attendance posing
excellent questions and commentary. The presentation
slides can be found online at http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=8055.
Following presentation of the Draft Architecture and
Engineering Report on the planned trail to the Richmond
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the city’s
Design Review Board. The Final Architectural and
Engineering Report will be presented to the City Council
during the early part of 2012. Upon city approval,
the project will move into the environmental review and
final design phase through the Caltrans approval process. Staff
will pursue federal and state funding sources to cover
an anticipated cost of $15 to $20 million.
The planned trail connection will provide safe, convenient,
and inviting access for bicyclists and pedestrians to
the Point San Pablo Peninsula and the Richmond-San Rafael
Bridge by closing a gap in the Bay Trail from Castro
Street in Point Richmond to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
Toll Plaza. The project would correct an access
deficiency in the state transportation system, and facilitate
zero-emissions commuting to and from the Point San Pablo
Peninsula, and eventually across the Richmond-San Rafael
Bridge. The project would also enhance water-oriented
recreational opportunities for residents and visitors
by providing bicycle and pedestrian access to the bay
shoreline along the Point San Pablo Peninsula. The
project would complement land use development throughout
the Point San Pablo Peninsula by providing low-cost commute
alternatives, and by connecting the peninsula with City
of Richmond greenways, parks, and shoreline developments.
East Bay Regional Park District's (EBRPD's) Master
Plan calls for completion of the Bay Trail on
the Peninsula north of I-580. Referring to the
Bay Trail Alignment map, the planned route runs
through a patchwork of lands owned by Chevron and the
City of Richmond. On
November 2, 2009, Chevron agreed to convey to EBRPD
1.5 miles of trail easements shown as yellow-red dashed
lines, and EBRPD's Board of Directors appropriated
$100,000 for trail alignment engineering, surveying and
title costs.
In June 2011, EBRPD completed an alignment
study for trail easements over the shoreline of Chevron
lands between I-580 and Pt. Molate Beach, as well as between
the City’s
Point Molate and Point San Pablo properties. EBRPD's
next steps are to finalize the easements with Chevron and
acquire old railroad easements owned 50/50 by UP and
BNSF overlying Chevron's fee title lands where the
trail will be built. Construction of the intervening
1.4 miles of Bay Trail along the shoreline on former
Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot is required under
the City’s Land Disposition agreement with Upstream
Point Molate LLC.
Plans remain to be developed for
construction of the Bay Trail on the City's derelict former
Terminal 4 property at Point San Pablo, and another easement
is needed over Chevron land to reach the Point San Pablo
Yacht Harbor.
More
infomation on the Point San Pablo Peninsula & Point Molate >>
|
