Support Needed for the Alto Tunnel
Please join the Marin County Bicycle Coalition in taking action to support funding for the Alto Tunnel by
sending a letter to the Board of Supervisors today and by marking your calendar for a critically important meeting at the
Marin County Board of Supervisors Chambers on Tuesday, April 17 at 9:30 AM.
The Alto Tunnel is an old rail tunnel that connects Corte Madera and Mill Valley. It is a critical component of Marin County’s North-South Greenway which is being designed as a world-class facility for bicycles and pedestrians. For
more information about the Alto Tunnel see our Alto
Tunnel Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
An independent advisory committee for the County’s Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (the $25 million federal demonstration project) met between November 2006 and March 2007 to decide upon project recommendations for funding. The committee reviewed more than 250 proposals totaling more than $220 million, and selected projects based upon federal criteria and a range of other considerations
including how the project will contribute toward getting people out of their cars. The Alto Tunnel study was recommended by the Committee for $850,000 in Pilot Program funding. This study is a critical first step in opening the tunnel, but the funds are currently under threat.
At the March 22nd Transportation Authority of Marin meeting, the Alto Tunnel was attacked by several TAM commissioners, including the members from Mill Valley and Corte Madera (see the Marin IJ article below). These council members' comments, however, conflict with resolutions that the city/town councils both passed in support of further study on the Alto Tunnel. The council resolutions also detailed the types of issues that the jurisdictions want to see studied. To withdraw support now makes no sense.
Your help is urgently needed on this matter. We ask you to do
three things:
1) Attend the April 17 hearing: Please plan to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, April 17. The meeting begins at 9:30
AM (address below).
2) If you are a Mill Valley or a Corte Madera resident, please
note the following: For Mill Valley residents, please attend the Mill Valley City Council Meeting on on April 16 at
8:15 PM
and speak about the importance of the Alto Tunnel study. Please remind the Council of their resolution in the year 2000 supporting a study of Alto
Tunnel (resolution below).
The Corte Madera Town Council meeting on Tuesday, April 17th has
been cancelled.
Right click and save or press Control or Apple key and click mouse (on a mac) to download the following:
Mill
Valley Resolution Supporting the Alto Tunnel Study
Corte Madera Resoution Supporting the Alto
Tunnel Study
3) Send a letter of support: Regardless of whether you can or cannot attend the hearing on April 17, please send a letter of support today and blind cc the Marin County Bicycle Coalition at andy@marinbike.org. Your letter should be addressed to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, c/o President Steve Kinsey-
skinsey@co.marin.ca.us. Please cc the Corte Madera Town Council-
administration@ci.corte-madera.ca.us,
the Mill Valley City Council- citycouncil@cityofmillvalley.org,
and the Larkspur City Council- jbonander@larkspurcityhall.org.
For simplicity, you can copy and
paste the following into your email "To:" field: skinsey@co.marin.ca.us,
administration@ci.corte-madera.ca.us, citycouncil@cityofmillvalley.org,
jbonander@larkspurcityhall.org
If you prefer, you can send mail via the postal service to:
TOWN OF CORTE MADERA
300 Tamalpais Drive
Corte Madera, CA 94925-1418
CITY OF MILL VALLEY
26 Corte Madera Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
CITY OF LARKSPUR
400 Magnolia Avenue
Larkspur, California 94939
COUNTY OF MARIN BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
3501 Civic Center Drive Room #329
San Rafael, CA 94903
We suggest that your letter include the following points (in your own words):
· Urge the Board of Supervisors to approve the Pilot Program Advisory Committee’s recommendation
for $850,000 to fund the Alto Tunnel study.
· State why the Alto Tunnel is a critical link for Marin’s bicycle and pedestrian transportation system.
· Indicate how you would use the tunnel.
· Sign the letter indicating your name and address
Please RSVP ASAP for the Tuesday, April 17 Board of Supervisor's
meeting to andy@marinbike.org; it is critical to have a large showing at this meeting to ensure that Board of Supervisor (who make the final decision on this matter) know that you strongly support the use of Pilot Program funds for the Alto Tunnel study.
There are no other funding sources available for this study, and the Alto Tunnel was identified as a top priority for bicyclists and pedestrians during the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan process. It needs to be funded as part of the $25 million Pilot Program process. If the Alto Tunnel were to be cut from the Pilot Program list, it could spell the end of any future prospects of reopening this tunnel.
If you have questions and/or are willing to help further with this campaign over the next three weeks please contact andy@marinbike.org or call 415-457-0802. You’re letters and help will make a difference. For more information about the Alto Tunnel, please visit:
http://www.marinbike.org/Campaigns/Infrastructure/AltoFAQs.shtml
For further questions about the
AltoTunnel study, please click here.
Thanks in advance!
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Marin Independent Journal article
March 24, 2007
Alto Tunnel bike path plan draws heat
Hopes of opening the long-closed Alto Tunnel are taking a beating.
City leaders from across Marin objected to a proposal to earmark $850,000 in federal bike and pedestrian path funds to study opening Alto Hill between Mill Valley and Corte Madera.
At Thursday night's Transportation Authority of Marin meeting, reopening the tunnel - long a goal of Marin biking advocates - generated lots of political heat.
Both Mill Valley Councilman Dick Swanson and Corte Madera Mayor Melissa Gill criticized the tunnel money. Gill said spending $850,000 for the study is "ridiculous." From a budget standpoint, building a new Mill Valley-Corte Madera bike path along the freeway makes more sense, she said.
"That project remains extremely controversial in Mill Valley," added Swanson.
The tunnel study is part of the $25 million federal grant the county won for projects promoting cycling and walking.
Novato Councilwoman Carole Dillon-Knutson, Larkspur Councilwoman Joan Lundstrom and Tiburon Councilwoman Alice Fredericks also objected to the money for Alto, saying the county should wait until it finishes reopening Cal Park Tunnel between San Rafael and Larkspur Landing. That project will cost an estimated $23.7 million.
County supervisors get to weigh in on the issue when it reaches them next month.
