Cal Park Hill Tunnel Groundbreaking a Huge Success
Yes on Q Rally for SMART preceded the event
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Nearly 200 people gathered on Wednesday, September 24 for two events: a rally for the SMART Train and Pathway (Measure Q on the November 4 ballot) and the groundbreaking of the Cal Park Hill Tunnel, which will be open in 15-18 months and is being retrofitted for bicycle and pedestrian use and passenger trains.
A crowd first gathered at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal and paraded to the railroad right-of-way carrying signs, banners, and balloons promoting Yes on Q. The hot and sunny day featured energetic and enthusiastic speeches by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Supervisor Charles McGlashan, MCBC's Deb Hubsmith, and Cynthia Murray co-chair of the campaign. The speakers discussed the environmental, economic and traffic relief benefits of SMART, and indicated how we need the SMART train and pathway to create a more sustainable future.
The crowd chanted, "Vote SMART yes on Q, we need something NEW!" SMART will provide 70 miles of passenger train service, connecting Cloverdale with Larkspur Landing, and a parallel bicycle and pedestrian route for the full 70 miles, providing safe access to the new rail stations. SMART will remove 31 million pounds of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere each year, and will be up and running in 2014 if two-thirds of voters approve of the measure in Marin and Sonoma Counties on November 4. Click here for more information, to donate to the campaign, and to volunteer.
Following the SMART rally was the official groundbreaking of the Cal Park Hill Tunnel, which will connect Larkspur Landing and San Rafael. The tunnel is being built to accommodate passenger trains and the bicycle and pedestrian pathway. The vision for creating this link has been alive for more than 30 years, but the process did not move forward until the Marin County Bicycle Coalition made the project its top infrastructure priority, back in 1998.
A key component of the North-South Greenway, the Cal Park Hill Tunnel will provide a safe and flat route to get people out of their cars, making it faster to bike between San Rafael and Larkspur Landing than to drive. Speakers at the groundbreaking included: Supervisor Charles McGlashan, Supervisor Steve Kinsey, SMART Director Lillian Hames, MCBC's Deb Hubsmith, and County Engineer Craig Tackabery. Deb Hubsmith of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition said, "The Cal Park Hill Tunnel represents a vision of the future we are working to build, where people will be able to get around on feet, through bikes, and by public transit, leaving the automobile at home. This project creates the opportunity for us to do something healthy for ourselves, our community, and the planet."
Following the speeches, the presenters and Public Works Director Farhad Mansourian all moved shovels of dirt, representing the start of this historic project. In addition to local residents, the Cal Park Hill Tunnel event was attended by representatives from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the Federal Highway Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the three other communities that were selected by Congress to serve with Marin as Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Programs, a federal demonstration project that will show how walking and bicycling can improve mobility, safety, health and the environment.
The Marin County Bicycle Coalition thanks the County of Marin, Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit and all of the other agency partners, elected officials, engineers and volunteers that have been involved in holding this vision and working to make it a reality.
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