POINT MOLATE & RICHMOND/SAN RAFAEL BRIDGE
Thanks to Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), a 1.1-mile Bay Trail section runs from the Point Richmond Historic District to the Stenmark Drive exit from I-580 where it intersects with the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge Trail and the planned Point Molate Trail. This two-way, multi-use trail begins at the intersection of Tewksbury Ave. & Castro St. and crosses under I-580 at Marine St. before continuing to Stenmark Drive.
The San Francisco Bay Trail Plan includes a 4.2-mile spur from the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge north along the shoreline to Point Molate Beach Park , through the Winehaven Historic District on the 400+ acre Point Molate property and around the City of Richmond’s former Terminal 4 at Point San Pablo to terminate at the Point San Pablo Harbor. This is the largest gap in the planned Bay Trail route through Richmond.
Richmond/San Rafael (RSR) Bridge Trail
BATA opened the 4.4-mile Richmond/San Rafael Bridge Trail on November 16, 2019 as a four-year pilot program to provide a pedestrian and bicyclist connection between the East Bay and North Bay. This marked the sixth Bay Area bridge with the Bay Trail completed. As of December 31, 2024, bicyclists and pedestrians had enjoyed over 430,000 trips across the bridge. It is the most popular for bicyclists of all BATA State-owned toll bridges, including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
This two-way, multi-use trail is 10’-wide with a 42″-high concrete barrier separating it from motor vehicle traffic. The barrier is moveable by means of a barrier-transfer machine known as a “zipper truck”, which allows it to be repositioned as necessary to allow crews working for Caltrans to conduct bridge maintenance tasks during short closures of the bike/ped path.
East Bay bicyclists may reach the trailhead at the intersection of Castro St. and Tewksbury Ave. either by riding the Bay Trail from points as far away as Emeryville or from the Richmond BART station by taking 16th St. to the Richmond Greenway and riding the protected cycle track along Ohio Ave. to the Bay Trail. AC Transit Route 72M and Golden Gate Transit Route 40 buses stop at the Castro & Tewksbury trailhead with connections to BART and SMART, respectively. Golden Gate Transit Route 40 buses traverse the bridge with a stop at the Marin trailhead, offering the opportunity for one-way stroll westward across the bridge and returning by bus.
Under contract to Caltrans, UC Berkeley’s Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology group produced an “After Study” on May 8, 2024 evaluating the impact of the pilot project and concluded:
- ”… peak-hour travel times across the bridge have only increased by less than a minute, due to slightly slower speeds on the bridge, and been more variable due to the inability of disabled vehicles to move out of a traffic lane. However, these impacts have not translated into significantly increased congestion upstream of the bridge compared to the 2015 to 2018 average conditions.”
- “There is no statistical evidence that the bridge modifications are producing longer crash-related incidents or changing the location where crashes tend to occur on the bridge.”
- “There is no statistical evidence that the modifications are increasing the time needed to clear crashes.”
- “Vehicle emissions along I-580 West: Depending on the pollutant and season, reductions in emissions varying between 0.2% and 12.7% are estimated to have resulted from the bridge modification, primarily due to a reduction in the share of vehicles traveling above 60 mph.“
Despite the lack of effect on crashes or crash clearance times on the bridge, Caltrans has proposed closing the trail Monday through Thursday in order to provide an automobile breakdown lane (not a general traffic lane). This proposal requires an amendment of the RSR Bridge permit by the Bay Conservation & Development Commission (BCDC), which is scheduled to reach a decision will decide in early 2025.
Caltrans proposal to shut down this key section of San Francisco Bay Trail linking the East Bay and North Bay is opposed by resolutions adopted by unanimous vote of the Richmond, Albany and Berkeley City Councils …. three cities along I-580 and the Bay Trail. The closure proposal also is opposed by the West Contra Costa Transportation Commission representing all five cities in western Contra Costa County, the San Francisco Bay Trail Project Board of Directors and over 70 local, regional and national organizations. Local organizations opposing include Rich City Rides, Pogo Parks & TRAC. Regional and National organizations include Save The Bay, Sierra Club, Greenbelt Alliance and Trust for Public Land (TPL).
Caltrans’ proposal conflicts with BCDC’s legislative mandate to provide ”maximum feasible access“ to the Bay and its shoreline. A breakdown lane was present before the RSR Bridge Trail opened, and UC Berkeley’s Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology group’s “After Study” concluded that the trail did not significantly increase traffic congestion, crashes on the bridge or crash clearance times. Traffic normally flows smoothly on the bridge, because it is the site of only one incident from Monday to Friday during the morning commute period. This one motor vehicle incident per week could be running out of fuel, a flat tire, side swipe or collision. Caltrans’ proposal amounts to shutting down the RSR Bridge Trail four days/week because a motorist may neglect refueling on one of those days.
The routine morning commute delays on westbound I-580 result from conditions on approaches to the bridge and related traffic incidents. BATA is addressing these problems by installing open road tolling to eliminate toll plaza structures and reconfiguring the Garrard Blvd./Castro Street on ramp.
Point Molate Trail
The Bay Trail Plan, City of Richmond General Plan and EBRPD’s Master Plan all call for completion of the Bay Trail on the San Pablo Peninsula north of I-580. EBRPD and the City have partnered to complete 2.5 miles of Bay Trail along the shoreline between the RSR Bridge Trail and the northern border of the City’s Point Molate property. This includes 1.1 miles of shoreline trail on the easement donated by Chevron plus 1.4 miles on the City’s Point Molate property. EBRPD has funded design plans, approved a Mitigated Negative Declaration under CEQA and applied for the major permits required for the entire 2.5 miles.
Construction bids opened on July 11, 2024 were rejected, because the apparent qualifying low bid at $9.23 million exceeded grant funds available. The City and EBRPD are seeking additional grant funds and hope to rebid the project in the first quarter of 2025. When completed, the trail will open up a scenic, historic stretch of San Francisco Bay shoreline where there is no public access other than at Point Molate Beach Park
POINT MOLATE TO POINT SAN PABLO HARBOR
Chevron has committed to provide EBRPD a trail easement over its land between Point Molate and the City’s former Terminal 4 at Point San Pablo. The situation is complicated by an railroad easement owned jointly by BNSF and Union Pacific railroads. Trail access between the Terminal 4 site and Point San Pablo Harbor also will require access to Chevron land with a railroad easement; however, Chevron has yet to commit to provide a trail easement for this corridor.
Also see the Point San Pablo Peninsula / Point Molate website