The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Caltrans, the Transportation Authority of Marin and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority invite the public to a pair of open houses in Richmond on Thursday, Dec. 8 and in San Rafael on Friday, Dec. 9 to learn more about the Interstate 580 Access Improvement Projects now beginning construction in the heavily traveled Richmond-San Rafael Bridge corridor. The Richmond meeting will be from 6 to 8 PM in City Council Chambers. Click Here for details about the open house.

On Nov. 10, the Bay Area Toll Authority approved entering into a $27.2 million contract to construct a 1.1-mile Class I Bay Trail separated from I-580 between Castro Street and the Stenmark Drive exit from the freeway as a integral part of providing a third eastbound motor vehicle running lane on the bridge. This BATA project will remedy the current situation wherein I-580 blocks pedestrian access to Point Molate and bicyclists must ride on the freeway and its exit ramps where a motorist killed one bicyclist and left another paralyzed.

Closely related to the BATA project, in partnership with the City of Richmond and Chevron, East Bay Regional Park District is at the 65% preliminary design stage for 2.5 miles of Class I Bay Trail following the shoreline from the Stenmark Drive exit to Point Molate Beach Park and on to the northern border of the City of Richmond’s Point Molate property. This EBRPD project will create public access to 2.5 miles of shoreline on the Point San Pablo Peninsula. Both of these projects should be completed by mid year 2018.

CLICK HERE for more information about providing Bay Trail access to Point Molate and the rest of the San Pablo Peninsula.