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 in 2009 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.
On July 10, 2012, the City Council
voted to approve the local consensus alignment
for the one-mile Bay Trail section between
the bus stop at Castro St. & Tewksbury Ave. and
the existing trail under the Richmond/San Rafael
Bridge and authorized the City Manager
to execute the required Cooperative Agreement for
Caltrans participation in design and permitting studies. CLICK
HERE to view the staff report. The project
now will move into the environmental review and final
design phase through the Caltrans approval process. The
City and TRAC will pursue federal and state funding
to cover an anticipated cost upwards of $15 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 above Bay Trail
Easement 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
1.6 miles of trail easements shown as dark green 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. On
Oct. 16, 2012, EBRPD’s Board of Directors
awarded a $45,000 contract to Nichols Consulting Engineers
to develop a preferred alignment and legal descriptions
required to finalize a 1.6-mile trail easement with
Chevron. The next steps will be 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.
The intervening 1.4 miles of Bay Trail along the
shoreline of the City of Richmond's former
Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot will be built
as part of an unknown future development project on that
property. Similarly, plans remain to be developed for
construction of the Bay Trail on the City's derelict
former Terminal 4 property at Point San Pablo when another
easement will be needed over Chevron land to reach the
Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor.
More
infomation on the Point San Pablo Peninsula & Point Molate >>
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