Officials plan bridge over Sir Francis Drake Boulevard for bikers and walkers in Larkspur

Mark Prado
Marin IJ, June 14, 2010

Bicyclists and pedestrians could have a new way to cross busy East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Larkspur as plans for an overpass to cross the busy thoroughfare move ahead.

The new bridge would essentially follow the alignment of the old railroad trestle - part of a rail line built in the 1880s and made famous in the movie "Dirty Harry" - that was removed in 2003 after it was damaged by a truck.

Transportation officials are planning a pathway that includes a 17-foot-high, 100-foot-long bridge that could cost as much as $13 million to help people get to the planned Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station near the Cal Park Hill Tunnel to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal.

After crossing the boulevard, the structure would deposit people on a pathway that runs east to west. The new structure would also make it easier for bikers to travel north and south through the county.

"It would provide a safe and separate route between the SMART station and the ferry terminal," said Andy Peri, advocacy and outreach coordinator for the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. "The way it is now you have to maneuver through sidewalks and streets to get through the area."

Once the plan is approved by SMART - which could happen this summer - it would still take 18 months to design the overcrossing and then another 18 months to build it. It would be 2014 before the structure would be available to the public, officials said.

On Thursday, the Transportation Authority of Marin - which is the leading the work - will hold an informational meeting on the project in Larkspur.

"We want to hear what people have to say," said Bill Whitney, the authority's project manager. "It's a tricky location. It's environmentally sensitive because it's near the creek and there are a lot of underground utilities."

The project is being funded by $11 million from 2004's voter-approved Regional Measure 2, which raised Bay Area state bridge tolls by $1. But the agency needs to find more money to pay for the work.

The bridge over Sir Francis Drake Boulevard would be the first phase of the plan.

A second phase would extend the path over Corte Madera Creek along the old railroad right of way along what remains of the train trestle, where it would connect with the existing pathway on Wornum Drive. Another version has the overcrossing connecting with a new pathway along Redwood Highway to Wornum Drive.

Officials initially thought the Measure 2 funding could also pay for one of the extensions to Wornum, but Whitney said the cost of the first phase would be $12 million or $13 million alone. There is no money yet for the second phase.

The Transportation Authority of Marin will hold a meeting on the Central Marin Ferry Connection from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Redwood High School Cafeteria, 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur.