Cal Park Hill Tunnel
Gets $3.9 Million in Grants

JUNE, 2002 - Score! The Marin County Bicycle Coalition is extremely pleased to announce that the State of California recently awarded two grants totaling $3.9 million, to the County of Marin, for the rehabilitation of the Cal Park Hill Tunnel.

The Cal Park Hill Tunnel is a key link in the North-South Greenway, which is planned to run from Sausalito through Sonoma County along the Northwestern Pacific Railroad line.

The Cal Park Hill Tunnel is an old railroad tunnel which will connect San Rafael with the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. This key link, which has been desired for 27 years, will shortening the bike commute from San Rafael to the Ferry from 20 minutes to only five minutes. It will also make the route much safer.

News of the first grant came on May 9 through a decision by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). The CTC awarded $3 million for the Cal Park Hill Tunnel at a public hearing in Sacramento which was attended by approximately 20 MCBC members. Supervisor Steve Kinsey and MCBC Executive Director Debbie Hubsmith testified at the meeting. The Cal Park Hill Tunnel was the only bicycle grant awarded and was one of only four projects which received funding for Northern California from the State Transportation Enhancements account. Thirty-two qualified applications were vying for funding from the grant source, which originated as federal dollars under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century.

The Cal Park Hill Tunnel got another boost when a second grant for $908,591 was awarded by the State of California through the Bicycle Transportation Account on June 5. The Bicycle Transportation Account is a competitive grant fund administered by Caltrans which distributes $7 million per year to bicycle projects in California.

The grant applications for Cal Park Hill Tunnel were submitted by the County Department of Public Works in May of 2001, after the County adopted its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan earlier that month. This Master Plan holds the promise of turning Marin County into a model bicycle community for the nation, with the goal of 20% of all transportation trips being made by bicyclists and pedestrians. The Cal Park Hill Tunnel, and other projects along the North-South Greenway, feature bicycle access to transit hubs and provide key linkages that encourage alternatives to the single occupancy vehicle.

The County of Marin, through leadership by Supervisor Steve Kinsey, is working closely with the Golden Gate Bridge District, Larkspur and San Rafael on planning, construction, maintenance and operations associated with the Cal Park Hill Tunnel. The 40-foot wide tunnel is also large enough to accommodate future public transportation.

The total cost for the project was estimated at $5.7 million in the grant applications prepared by County DPW in May 2001. It is expected that the Cal Park Hill Tunnel should be open for use by bicyclists and pedestrians in the year 2005. The County is hopeful that full funding for this project will be secured later this year through regional, state or federal grants which are still pending.