Interstate 580 Richmond San Rafael Bridge Improvements

[andy3175]

http://www.marinij.com/general-news/20150818/levine-wants-third-lane-open-on-richmond-san-rafael-bridge-by-september

A third eastbound lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge should be opened by the end of next month at the latest, not in 2017 as Caltrans has proposed, says Assemblyman Marc Levine.

On Tuesday he introduced a bill – Assembly Bill 9 – in an attempt to push the agency into action, a move Levine, D-San Rafael, believes will help relieve the afternoon commute, which has created bumper-to-bumper traffic in Marin as drivers jockey to get onto the span. Some of that backup has spilled onto northbound and southbound Highway 101.

Levine contends opening the third lane – which now is a shoulder – is a simple fix: just paint in a new lane. The bridge initially had three lanes when it opened in 1956, but when drought hit in 1977 a lane was closed so a pipeline could be laid across the span to bring water to Marin. When the pipeline was removed in 1978, the lane was converted to a shoulder given light traffic.

But Caltrans officials said simply painting in a new lane is not as easy as it sounds. Caltrans noted the shoulder reduces in width from 10 feet on the bridge to just over 2 feet on land in Richmond, which would create a bottleneck for cars. Caltrans also says the existing shoulder is currently used as a bike path as it comes off the bridge. That use would not be possible if the shoulder is widened for vehicle use.

"We still have to get through environmental planning too,"  said Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus, who said the current agency plan has the lane re-opening in October of 2017. "We are working over the water and there are environmental rules. Everything has to be done by the numbers."

Levine's legislation – expected to be heard within the next two weeks in a legislative committee – calls for the lane to opened "no later than Sept. 30."

[rschen7754]

I drove on the bridge a few days ago, and there's definitely an empty space on the roadway for the lane in some parts, ready to go.

[Henry]

With an opening date two years in advance, I'm amazed that they did not create the new lane sooner.

[andy3175]

The push for the third lane by 2017 continues ... http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_30128755/richmond-san-rafael-third-lane-plan-goes-caltrans

A final design to open a third eastbound lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to ease traffic went to Caltrans Wednesday, clearing the way for a projected December 2017 opening.

In the coming years the bridge will undergo major changes with the addition of a third vehicle travel lane on its lower deck and a bike lane on top. The two projects have a $74 million price tag.

The Bay Area Toll Authority's Oversight Committee met Wednesday (7/13/2016) and heard an update on the planned work. ...

While opening the lane may sound simple, officials note a state and federal rules environmental analysis is required. In addition, new signs will have to go on the span and a retaining wall on the Contra Costa side must be set back to create added space for cars heading off the span.

The added eastbound car lane would likely be open only during commute hours, allowing Caltrans to retain a shoulder for maintenance work during other times of the day.

Other project elements in Marin include reconfiguring the Main Street onramp from the San Quentin Village area with a retaining wall to improve the traffic merge with the new lane, and replacing pavement on the bridge approaches to accommodate heavier traffic loads. ...

A second bridge project would bring a 10-foot-wide lane on the north side of the roadway on the top deck of the span. Bicyclists and pedestrians traveling east and west would use the space that would be separated from car traffic by a movable median barrier. It would open in March 2018 under the current plan. A movable barrier is needed to allow Caltrans to perform maintenance work on the span. ...

The bridge initially had three lanes when it opened in 1956, but when drought hit in 1977 a lane on the top deck was closed so a pipeline could be laid across the span to bring water to Marin. When the pipeline was removed in 1978, the top and lower deck lanes were converted to shoulders because of light traffic.

The Richmond-San Rafael is the third least-used of the Bay Area spans, ahead only of the Dumbarton and Antioch bridges. But over the last five years, traffic has increased about 13 percent as the economy has rebounded.

The price tag for the lane is $30 million. The bike path is $29 million, and there is a $15 million contingency. Once built, the new configurations would be deemed a four-year pilot project and would be analyzed after that time.

Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, has introduced legislation to speed the opening of a third lane, but has gotten little traction from Caltrans or the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

[jeffe]

The plans to add a third lane (well, technically, add back the lane that was previously removed) to the lower deck of the Richmond San Rafael bridge is heading out to bid:

Thursday, August 25, 2016

The planned addition of a third eastbound lane to Interstate 580 across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and other improvements along the nearly six-mile corridor reached a key milestone this month as state officials finalized project approval and certified environmental documentation for the $73 million project spearheaded by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Caltrans, the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA).  State approval clears the way for MTC this week to advertise a trio of construction contracts and keeps the $73 million initiative on track to begin construction this October, with the third eastbound lane slated to open in October 2017.

Source: http://mtc.ca.gov/whats-happening/news/third-eastbound-lane-richmond-san-rafael-bridge-clears-key-hurdle

The eastbound causeway section will be striped for three lanes and then transition to a drivable shoulder that is open during commute hours:


On the upper deck a movable median will be added to the shoulder to create a two way bike path.


Source:
http://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/I-580%20Access%20Improvement%20Project%20Approval%20Document%20Aug%202016.pdf

[sdmichael]

Getting back to the bridge improvement... I saw a weird bike path on the east end of the bridge which seems to be "just a loop" and not useful at that. Perhaps it was constructed with the eventual bike path/lane on the bridge in mind? The biggest issue with anything bicycling related on that span is wind... not that much different than for others but problematic at lower speeds. Considering the bicycling route upgrades in Marin County, I can see this getting use. Even the new I-80 Carquinez Strait bridge has a bike path now.

[myosh_tino]

Heck, there's a bike/pedestrian path on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge.  It will eventually connect with Yerba Buena Island in the near term.  Long term plans call for some sort of path on the western span as well.

[NE2]

Getting back to the bridge improvement... I saw a weird bike path on the east end of the bridge which seems to be "just a loop" and not useful at that.

It's the way for cyclists to get from Stenmark Drive to the rest of Richmond, since a left entrance is super janky for bikes. The freeway construction created a gap in the old surface street.

[briantroutman]

As someone who rides a bicycle both for the enjoyment of riding as well as utilitarian transportation, I'm generally in favor of expanding and enhancing bicycle infrastructure. That said, I don't see cyclists getting $29 million in value out of this project–and I can think of a number of other more pressing bike infrastructure needs in the immediate vicinity where those funds could provide meaningful improvements to much greater numbers of bicycle commuters.

I used to live just a few miles from this bridge and frequently biked from my home in Corte Madera to the ferry terminal at Larkspur. That was my commute when I went to my agency's office in the city, and this bike-ferry commuting pattern is shared by hundreds if not thousands of others in Marin.

The thought of biking to the Richmond BART station had occurred to me in the past, and perhaps others in Marin have thought of it, too, but there are some realities that make it impractical. For a commuter, it's an additional ten miles from Larkspur Landing to Richmond's BART station. For many cyclists, that could mean as much as an hour of cycling time–an unreasonable increase. The bridge has a fairly steep (for a bicycle) uphill climb, and cold winds are nearly perpetual and frequently fierce.

If I still lived there, sure, I'd eagerly ride the bridge as soon as the bike lane opened, and then perhaps a few times a year at most–for fun. Knowing the typical Marin cyclist, I can say $29 million is an awfully steep price tag to give these wealthy few a new thrill ride for their their $10K bikes.

[coatimundi]

My experience has been that the traffic seems to bunch up on the approaches moreso than on the actual bridge. Like, right now, at 5pm, Google Maps shows it deep red leading on the eastbound approach, and keep in mind that there's no toll in that direction. It's just where the lane drops off. Maybe it would be better to not have the third lane at all, so that people wouldn't even have the chance to cut around and jump in at the last minute, when it exits?
I could see a bike facility being very useful since I would imagine there are quite a few people in Marin who are employed in Berkeley and possibly Oakland, just based on the demographics. And the transit in Marin just doesn't seem to really make travel solely by bus much of an option unless you can drive to a park & ride and then go to San Francisco, or park in San Rafael.

Isn't wind an issue on any Bay Area bridge, except maybe the Dunbarton? I mean, it just seems like kind of the nature of the beast. Really, biking anywhere along the northern coast, you're going to have to deal with wind in some way.

[sdmichael]

My experience has been that the traffic seems to bunch up on the approaches moreso than on the actual bridge. Like, right now, at 5pm, Google Maps shows it deep red leading on the eastbound approach, and keep in mind that there's no toll in that direction. It's just where the lane drops off. Maybe it would be better to not have the third lane at all, so that people wouldn't even have the chance to cut around and jump in at the last minute, when it exits?
I could see a bike facility being very useful since I would imagine there are quite a few people in Marin who are employed in Berkeley and possibly Oakland, just based on the demographics. And the transit in Marin just doesn't seem to really make travel solely by bus much of an option unless you can drive to a park & ride and then go to San Francisco, or park in San Rafael.

Isn't wind an issue on any Bay Area bridge, except maybe the Dunbarton? I mean, it just seems like kind of the nature of the beast. Really, biking anywhere along the northern coast, you're going to have to deal with wind in some way.

Having ridden in areas with major winds... they are a pain. Crosswinds, especially at the "wrong" times, can potentially cause an accident. Being as there are few alternatives (maybe a bus... if there is enough room in the racks) for crossing that section of the bay and the higher potential for people wanting to make that connection, I can see this being a benefit. Yes, and additional 10 miles is a lot, but it would be those miles mostly without being in the city. Earlier, someone commented about their commute to the City... which doesn't make sense considering the 580 doesn't go there. It goes to the East Bay, where there are few alternates by bicycle and would be even longer via ferry/BART than to bicycle across the span.

[SSOWorld]

Too hot and political in here - locking

EDIT: Cleaned up and unlocked - Stay on topic please!

[sdmichael]

Much appreciated. Now moving on... I do find it interesting that the bridge being built in the mid 1950's with three lanes is, after 60 years, being "widened" to its original lanes. Maybe they were thinking ahead more than we'd like to think back then.

[sdmichael]

Getting back to the bridge improvement... I saw a weird bike path on the east end of the bridge which seems to be "just a loop" and not useful at that.

It's the way for cyclists to get from Stenmark Drive to the rest of Richmond, since a left entrance is super janky for bikes. The freeway construction created a gap in the old surface street.

Having looked at better mapping and photography of the area, your route makes sense, even if it still doesn't quite serve very much area. Good to know.