San Rafael tunnel opens along SMART rail line

By Bob Norberg
Press Democrat, December 13, 2010

A tunnel through Cal Park Hill in San Rafael for Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit trains and for bicyclists and pedestrian is now open.

The gates were opened to the bike and pedestrian tunnel Friday, which is essentially a mini-tunnel inside the main tunnel that will eventually serve the trains.

For SMART, it was one of its first major projects to be completed, even though it is not clear when commute trains will be running as far south as Larkspur.

For Marin County, it removes a key obstacle in the county's North-South Greenway that runs from the Golden Gate Bridge to Novato, said Andy Peri of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.

“The Cal Park hill tunnel is very, very important link. It was a barrier to bike and pedestrian movement between north and south,” Peri said. “Bike riders would have to cross a freeway on-ramp and off-ramp and it is an extremely dangerous intersection.”

The rebuilding of the railroad tunnel, which had partially collapsed after a fire in the 1990s, cost $27.7 million.

The major portion of the cost was paid for by $13 million in Bay Area Toll Bridge money that went to SMART and $7 million to Marin County. Other funds include $3 million in federal funds, $1.5 million from the Bay Area Regional Air Quality Management District, $1.4 million from the state, and $300,000 from Marin County.