Cal Park Hill Tunnel

Community leaders have been working for more than 30 years (since the 1970’s) to provide a non-motorized connection between San Rafael and Larkspur Landing Circle in the vicinity of the Cal Park Hill Tunnel. Today, more than $25 million in funding has been secured for this project which will rehabilitate the Cal Park Hill Railroad Tunnel and create a mile-long Class 1 bike/ped pathway on the east side of the tunnel and accommodations for future rail on the west side. Phase A (tunnel opening and rehabilitation) of the project goes out to bid at the end of July, 2008 with construction commencing in the fall of 2008. Construction is scheduled to take about 14 months, and is expected to be completed at the end of 2009. Phase B (pathway to the tunnel) will go out to bid in March of 2009. Both phases are expected to be completed at the same time.

The project is being designed to accommodate future rail capabilities, so the 40 foot high tunnel will include a “tunnel within the tunnel” for the non-motorized access. When completed, the 12-foot-wide, two-way, paved asphalt path will have emergency call boxes/blue light stations, closed-circuit television cameras, tunnel ventilation, a new pedestrian/cyclist overpass bridge in San Rafael where Anderson Drive crosses underneath Highway 101, and tunnel and pathway lighting. It is anticipated that the new route will cut the bike commute from downtown San Rafael to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal by approximately 15 minutes.

The Cal Park Hill Tunnel is the Marin County Bicycle Coalition’s highest priority project. Funding for this north-south connection was secured and lost on three occasions before the MCBC got involved in 1998. MCBC has helped extensively to bring attention to the need for this central traffic-free transportation corridor, and has worked doggedly to lobby for and secure more than $25 million in funding, and assist with the tunnel’s design issues.

• Transportation Authority of Marin's Cal Park Fact Sheet (February 2007)
• Regional Measure 2 Passes (providing final tunnel funding) (March 2004)
• Cal Park Hill Tunnel Gets Two Grants Totaling $3.9 Million (June 2002)
• Cal Park Hill Tunnel Receives Another $908,591.00 Grant from Caltrans (Press Release, June 12, 2002)
• Caltrans Gives $900,000 to reopen Tunnel (Marin IJ, June 2002)
• N-S Bikeway Gets $3 Million (Marin IJ, May 2002)
• N-S Bikeway Gets $3 Million (San Francisco Chronicle, May 2002)
• Marin Receives $3 Million TEA Funds (Bikes Belong, May 2002)
  

Last updated July 2008