Kinsey fixed on Richmond span bike path

Brad Breithaupt
Marin IJ, November 30, 2006

Marin Supervisor Steve Kinsey isn't giving up on his drive to create a bike path across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

He and Caltrans have been tangling over the issue. State officials have put a huge price tag on fitting the span with a path. Kinsey - as a county supervisor and a leader of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission - has pushed the idea for years. He says he's not finished.

It is a missing link in the Bay Trail, a path that rings the bay, Kinsey says.

Caltrans has responded with two designs - building a bike path attached to the side of the bridge or a moveable barrier. Both are prohibitively expensive - $50 million to $500 million. Even Kinsey agrees.

Officials have even considered moving traffic - rotating traffic between the top and lower decks depending on commute flow.

Kinsey is suggesting that Caltrans make room in each direction for a six-foot path. Caltrans maintains it needs three lanes each way, leaving no room for a bike path and a barrier without making the lanes narrower.

A study on the issue - the third in 10 years - will be ready for public hearings in January.

Kinsey says that instead of a moveable barrier for a bike path, the state could move the lanes. Kinsey wants the state to consider "intelligent" lighting, such as roadbed lighting that could electronically re-designate the number of lanes to accommodate commute traffic and also provide space for a bike lane.