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THE BAY TRAIL IN RICHMOND
MID YEAR 2016 REPORT
This 17th Mid Year Report by TRAC, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee,
highlights six projects now under construction or being designed to complete six miles
of new Bay Trail in Richmond during 2017 …. plus 4.3 miles across the Richmond/San
Rafael (RSR) Bridge.
The report also features new attractions along Richmond’s 32 completed miles of Bay
Trail. Popularity of the Shipyard 3 Trail has increased due to opening of a winery tasting
room with a food truck near the SS Red Oak Victory ship where osprey are tending
nestlings on top of the whirley crane towering overhead. Read on to learn about
Richmond’s shoreline parks and Bay Trail as an important part of the East Bay health
delivery system.
Point Pinole
Extending over a mile into San Pablo Bay, Point Pinole Regional Shoreline (PPRS) is the
Bay Area’s largest shoreline park. East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is going all
out to connect the regional Bay Trail system with the 4.5 miles of Bay Trail located
within the park..
The District completed construction of public access improvements on the southern end
of the Breuner Marsh Restoration and Public Access Project. This includes a staging
area with restrooms and motor vehicle parking accessible from the northern end of
Goodrick Ave., 0.3 miles of Bay Trail leading north over Rheem Creek and a 0.3-mile
spur trail to a scenic
vista point. On May
3, EBRPD’s Board of
Director’s approved
a $4.3 million
contract to build the
third and last phase
of the Breuner
project and complete
another 1.2 miles of
Bay Trail connecting
with the Bay View
Trail in PPRS.
Construction is
expected to begin in
July
and
be
completed by
February 2017.
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Complementing EBRPD’s Breuner project, the City has completed 95% pre-final design
for a 0.3-mile Class I Bay Trail section along Goodrick Ave. connecting the Breuner trail
staging area with the Bay Trail along the Richmond Parkway. Geotechnical and
environmental studies have been completed, and an Initial Study is being prepared for
compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act as the City and TRAC seek
funding for trail construction.
EBRPD began construction of the Atlas Road Extension Improvement Project to create
a second PPRS entrance via a bridge over Union Pacific railroad tracks. The project to be
completed by early 2017 includes a two-lane road entering PPRS and 0.23 miles of Bay
Trail connecting the Atlas Road Bay Trail section with Cook’s Point Trail, as well as a
parking area, restrooms and picnic areas. Complementing this EBRPD project, LDK
Ventures completed demolition and site restoration work preparatory to building a light
industrial building north of the end of Atlas Road. By summer 2017, this project will
provide 0.5 miles of Bay Trail leading north from Atlas Road toward Pinole.
Point Molate
The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) and
EBRPD are advancing separate projects
that together will complete the Bay Trail
to and along the shoreline of the City’s
Point Molate property by late 2017. BATA
submitted the final design package for
the RSR Bridge Access Improvements
Project to Caltrans for review and
approval. The project is on track to start
construction this fall on 1.16 miles of Bay Trail between Castro St. and the RSR Bridge
and 4.34 miles across the bridge’s top deck to Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael.
EBRPD completed a 35% conceptual design
for the 2.4-mile Point Molate Bay Trail
section between the RSR bridge and the
northern border of the City’s Point Molate
property. This includes 0.9 miles of Bay Trail
on a shoreline easement donated by Chevron
and 1.5 miles on City property. Thanks to
EBRPD, design, environmental studies and
permitting are moving forward while the City
and EBRPD work together to secure funds
for construction. Click Here for more
information.
The Shoreline Health Zone
Linked by the Bay Trail, Richmond’s necklace of city, regional and national shoreline
parks are becoming an important part of the East Bay’s health delivery system as many
organizations feature them as a venue for outdoor exercise in the form of walking,
running and cycling. Hundreds of research studies have documented the physical health
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benefits of such exercises, and a recent Kaiser Permanente (KP) publication “Can a Hike
Make You Happier?” describes the emerging research showing mental health benefits of
outdoor exercise. Ongoing programs include EBRPD’s Healthy Parks Healthy People
campaign, the Watershed Project’s Youth Access to Nature Project, the Yes Nature to
Neighborhoods program and “park prescriptions” written by KP MDs. This year UC
Berkeley’s California Outdoor Engagement Coalition, including the National Park
Service (NPS), Rosie the Riveter Trust, Groundwork Richmond and West Contra Costa
Unified School District launched Every Kid in a Park - Richmond bringing all 1,200
fourth graders from public schools in Richmond and San Pablo to Rosie the Riveter/
World War II Home Front National Historical Park for an outdoor learning experience
including a one mile walk along the Bay Trail. The NPS now is partnering with the City
to develop a Richmond Wellness Trail where residents can fill their “park prescriptions”
by walking from Permanente Medical Center and Richmond BART to the Richmond
Greenway and the Bay Trail.
Visiting the Shipyard 3 Bay Trail
From both Cutting Blvd. and Brickyard Cove Road, the two-mile Shipyard 3
Trail parallels Canal Blvd. to provide cycling and walking access to historic
Kaiser WWII shipyard buildings and the SS Red Oak Victory with its ship
tours and pancake breakfasts. This year the vessel was relocated to float in
one of the basins where ships were built during WWII. Towering over the
ship is a Whirley Crane used to move prefabricated ship sections into place
for welding. On top of the whirley crane, a charismatic pair of ospreys are
tending two hatchlings in a a huge nest — one of the eight pairs with young
birds on Richmond’s shoreline. An attraction added this year is the Riggers
Loft Wine Company where five artisanal winemakers share space and winemaking equipment, including a scenic tasting room. The Street Eats food
truck at the winery offers a tasty, diverse menu.
Thank you for supporting completion of the Bay Trail in Richmond. Please
share this report with your friends and neighbors, encouraging them to
join the Richmond Bay Trail Network at no cost by e-mailing
[email protected]. For maps, a calendar of events and other
information about the Bay Trail in Richmond, please visit http://
pointrichmond.com/baytrail/.
TRAC Steering Committee: Donald Bastin, Bruce Beyaert, Bruce
Brubaker, Andrew Butt, Whitney Dotson, Claudia Garcia and Nancy Strauch
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SAN FRANCISCO
BAY TRAIL PROJECT
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