2/27 Blog Topic: Richmond Bridge Expansion
February 27, 2018
Richmond Bridge Expansion
As transportation officials consider options to expand the Richmond Bridge to mitigate morning commutes coming into Marin and evening commutes leaving the county, the concept of a third lane on the north side of the upper deck coming into Marin has risen to the top – yet only as a section of roadway for pedestrians and bicyclists. In January, however, Marin Supervisor Damon Connolly (full disclosure, Damon is on MEF’s board), said that the third lane should also be used for westbound (inbound) vehicles, especially during morning commute times.
Connolly sits on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Toll Authority – the agencies behind the bridge expansion and lane plan. Now under consideration is the idea of using the third lane for cars only during the week but opening that lane up exclusively for bikes and walkers on weekends. Marin Economic Forum endorses this concept, as nearly half of our daily workforce commutes into the county and mostly from the East Bay (using the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge) or from the north (using Highway 37 and Highway 101). The bike lane concept was first discussed in 2013 yet over the course of the last five years and as the economy has boomed, traffic has gotten worse on the bridge. In fact, one study conducted by our transportation authority’s states that traffic has increased 13 percent on the Richmond Bridge since 2013.
-Robin
Link to the full Marin IJ article here: Marin supervisor iffy on bike lane for Richmond bridge
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