Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Access Improvements

Reducing Congestion and Increasing Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety

Completed and continuing improvements on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge are going a long way towards reducing traffic congestion and increasing safe access for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Drivers have seen major improvements through the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge corridor, following work to convert the eastbound shoulder into a peak period use travel lane during the afternoon/evening rush hour.

Open-road tolling and other planned improvements will ease congestion on the westbound I-580 approach in Contra Costa County.

2024 East Francisco Blvd. Project: Widening the Path & Increasing Safety

In 2024, the Shared-Use Gap Closure project along East Francisco Blvd. will widen approximately 2,000 feet of existing sidewalk to allow bi-directional bike and pedestrian travel to/from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and the flyover at the intersection of Grange Ave. in the City of San Rafael.

This project will also be realigning the East Francisco Blvd. roadway, will move an existing overhead utility line below ground and add additional signage and striping.

Construction Update: 9/16/2024

The second stage of construction nearly complete along the north side of Francisco Blvd. East between Grange Way and Main Street. Electrical and other utility conduits are being installed to various businesses in anticipation of upcoming work to be performed by PG&E, Comcast and AT&T to re-route the existing overhead cabling to new underground joint trench.

The new 10-foot wide sidewalk/bikeway is nearly complete, with the exception of two driveways that need to be re-built. These driveways will be constructed in the coming weeks and this work will occur at night (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) to minimize disruptions for pedestrians, vehicles and business traffic. 

Please note the pedestrian and cyclist detour that had been in place for the past few months has been removed, and the new sidewalk is open to the public. Businesses remain open during construction, and vehicle traffic in and out of driveways remains open. Expect to see PG&E crews starting to perform the undergrounding of electric lines as part of this project in early October.

East Francisco Blvd. Project Staff Contact

Nafis Majd
Email: [email protected]  

Completed Pilot Projects

Richmond-San Rafael Bridge users are already seeing the benefits of these projects completed by the Bay Area Toll Authority and partners:

• A third vehicle lane for peak use opened on the lower deck in 2018
• A six-mile bicycle/pedestrian path opened on the upper deck for public use in 2019, completing an important active transportation link in the Bay Trail between Marin and Contra Costa counties
• A project on the Sir Francis Drake offramp in 2020 added new striping, signage and safety improvements for cyclists

Pilot Study Report (Phase I)

Caltrans and UC Berkeley PATH have completed the Phase I After Study for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Access Improvements Project. Read the Phase I report on the Caltrans website.

The Phase II Final Report is ongoing and is expected to be completed in Summer 2024.

Bicycle Safety on Sir Francis Drake

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA)’s latest Richmond-San Rafael Bridge project added multiple improvements to the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard offramp, including:

• A moveable barrier to protect cyclists from vehicles
• Improved signage
• Pavement striping
• Pavement markers

The new bikeway offers improved bicycle trail linkage to transportation hubs and commute destinations in southern Marin County, such as Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Larkspur Station, Central Marin Ferry (Larkspur) Terminal, and the adjacent towns and cities.