Current seismic safety standards have forced Caltrans to review plans to retrofit the Bay Area Bay Bridge. Included in the plans for the new east bay span of the bridge is a 15.5 foot-wide bicycle/pedistrian path. Now people will be able to travel across the bridge on foot or bicycle.

MTC has set aside $50 million to incorporate a bicycle/pedestrian path on the new facility. The Association of Bay Area Governments has been promoting this since the idea of building a new Bay Bridge was implemented. The 15.5-foot-wide path will run along the southern edge of the eastbound deck and will be positioned one foot above the auto deck so as to shield users somewhat from traffic noise and exhaust. The trail will connect Yerba Buena Island and Gateway Park and the Port of Oakland. These trails that run along the parks will be connected to form a new span of the Bay Area Bay Trail.

Although the Bay Bridge Design Task Force and MTC Commission examined the option to have a trail on both the east and west span of the bridge. This plan was not used because a path on the north side of the westbound span heading uphill from Oakland would interfer with motorists' views and would be a threat to the security of people.

Future visitors to the bridge would be able to visit the Gateway Park. An opportunity to develop a 25- to 30- acre park on the Oakland shoreline became possible due to the closing to the Oakland Army Base and Caltrans' decision to build a new east span of the Bay Bridge. This park would be located near Port View Park, a park located on the Bay Trail and the Port of Oakland.

Gateway Park would transform a virtually desolate area into a beautiful park landscaped with tall grasses, waterfowl ponds, scenic outlooks, and picnic areas. Thus turning a nondescript area into a natural haven. It would be something that people could look forward to while walking or biking on the bridge.

Funds must be found to develop the park since it is not part of the east span project.

Another reason to take the trail would be to look at the new design of the bridge. A single-tower self-anchored suspension design has been selected for the new span. A single steel tower divided into four tapered columns, which are linked by horizontal cross-beams and two large cables that drape the top of the tower and tie into anchorages in the roadway decks will form the frame of the bridge. Thinner, suspender cables hang from the larger cables and connect to the outside of the roadway decks. The tower has been moved farther up the rock shelf near Yerba Buena Island onto a better foundation, thus making it possible for a shipping channel with more than 1,200 feet of horizontal clearance.

The Transbay Transit Terminal, linked to the bridge in terms of history, function, and finances, has long been in need of seismic upgrading and modernization. The terminal could be renovated or rebuilt at the same spot or somewhere else.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the Bay Area Ferry Boats will also make access to the Bay Bridge easier for people. By either taking BART or the ferries, visitors could easily travel to see the bridge and admire its beauty.

Thank you MTC and Caltrans for providing the information for the completion of this page.