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THE BAY TRAIL IN RICHMOND MID YEAR 2016 REPORT

This 17th Mid Year Report by TRAC, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee, highlights six projects now under construction or being designed to complete six miles of new Bay Trail in Richmond during 2017 …. plus 4.3 miles across the Richmond/San Rafael (RSR) Bridge.

The report also features new attractions along Richmond’s 32 completed miles of Bay Trail. Popularity of the Shipyard 3 Trail has increased due to opening of a winery tasting room with a food truck near the SS Red Oak Victory ship where osprey are tending nestlings on top of the whirley crane towering overhead. Read on to learn about Richmond’s shoreline parks and Bay Trail as an important part of the East Bay health delivery system.

Point Pinole

Extending over a mile into San Pablo Bay, Point Pinole Regional Shoreline (PPRS) is the Bay Area’s largest shoreline park. East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is going all out to connect the regional Bay Trail system with the 4.5 miles of Bay Trail located within the park..

The District completed construction of public access improvements on the southern end of the Breuner Marsh Restoration and Public Access Project. This includes a  staging area with restrooms and motor vehicle parking accessible from the northern end of Goodrick Ave., 0.3 miles of Bay Trail leading north over Rheem Creek and a 0.3-mile spur trail to a scenic vista point. On May 3, EBRPD’s Board of Director’s approved a $ 4 . 3 m i l l i o n contract to build  the third and last phase o f t h e B r e u n e r project and complete another 1.2 miles of Bay Trail connecting with the Bay View T r a i l i n P P R S . C o n s t r u c t i o n i s expected  to begin in J u l y a n d b e c o m p l e t e d b y February 2017.

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Complementing EBRPD’s Breuner project, the City has completed 95% pre-final design for a 0.3-mile Class I Bay Trail section along Goodrick Ave. connecting the Breuner trail staging area with the Bay Trail along the Richmond Parkway. Geotechnical and environmental studies have been completed, and an Initial Study is being prepared for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act as the City and TRAC seek funding for trail construction.

EBRPD began construction of the Atlas Road Extension Improvement Project to create a second PPRS entrance via a bridge over Union Pacific railroad tracks. The project to be completed by early 2017 includes a two-lane road entering PPRS and 0.23 miles of Bay Trail connecting the Atlas Road Bay Trail section with Cook’s Point Trail, as well as a parking area, restrooms and picnic areas. Complementing this EBRPD project, LDK Ventures completed demolition and site restoration work preparatory to building a light industrial building north of the end of Atlas Road. By summer 2017, this project will provide 0.5 miles of Bay Trail leading north from Atlas Road toward Pinole.

Point Molate

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) and EBRPD are advancing separate projects that together will complete the Bay Trail to and along the shoreline of the City’s Point Molate property by late 2017. BATA submitted  the  final design package  for the  RSR Bridge Access Improvements Project  to Caltrans for review and approval. The project is on track   to start

construction this fall on 1.16 miles of Bay Trail between Castro St. and the RSR Bridge and 4.34 miles across the bridge’s top deck to Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael. EBRPD completed  a 35% conceptual design for the 2.4-mile Point Molate Bay Trail section  between the RSR bridge and the northern  border of the City’s Point Molate property. This includes 0.9 miles of Bay Trail on a shoreline easement donated by Chevron and 1.5 miles on City property. Thanks to EBRPD, design, environmental studies and permitting are moving forward while the City and EBRPD work together to secure funds for  construction.  Click Here for more information.

The Shoreline Health Zone

Linked by the Bay Trail, Richmond’s necklace of city, regional and national shoreline parks are becoming an important part of the East Bay’s health delivery system as many organizations feature them as a venue for outdoor exercise in the form of walking, running and cycling. Hundreds of research studies have documented the physical health

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benefits of such exercises, and a recent Kaiser Permanente (KP) publication “Can a Hike Make You Happier?” describes the emerging research showing mental health benefits of outdoor exercise. Ongoing programs include EBRPD’s Healthy Parks Healthy People campaign, the Watershed Project’s Youth Access to Nature Project, the Yes Nature to Neighborhoods program and “park prescriptions” written by KP MDs. This year UC Berkeley’s California Outdoor Engagement Coalition, including the National Park Service (NPS), Rosie the Riveter Trust, Groundwork Richmond and West Contra Costa Unified School District launched Every Kid in a Park - Richmond bringing all 1,200 fourth graders from public schools in Richmond and San Pablo to Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park for an outdoor learning experience including a one mile walk along the Bay Trail.  The NPS now is partnering with the City to develop a Richmond Wellness Trail where residents can fill their “park prescriptions” by walking from Permanente Medical Center and Richmond BART to the Richmond Greenway and the Bay Trail.

Visiting the Shipyard 3 Bay Trail

From both Cutting Blvd. and Brickyard Cove Road, the two-mile Shipyard 3 Trail parallels Canal Blvd. to provide cycling and walking access to historic Kaiser WWII shipyard buildings and the SS Red Oak Victory with its ship tours and pancake breakfasts. This year the vessel was relocated to float in one of the basins where ships were built during WWII. Towering over the ship is a Whirley Crane used to move prefabricated ship sections into place for welding. On top of the whirley crane, a charismatic pair of ospreys are tending two hatchlings in a a huge nest — one of the eight pairs with young birds on Richmond’s shoreline. An attraction added this year is the Riggers Loft Wine Company where five artisanal winemakers share space and wine-making equipment, including a scenic tasting room. The Street Eats food truck at the winery offers a tasty, diverse menu.

Thank you for supporting completion of the Bay Trail in Richmond. Please share this report with your friends and neighbors, encouraging them to join the Richmond Bay Trail Network at no cost by e-mailing tracbaytrail@earthlink.net. For maps, a calendar of events and other information about the Bay Trail in Richmond, please visit http://pointrichmond.com/baytrail/.

TRAC Steering Committee: Donald Bastin, Bruce Beyaert, Bruce Brubaker, Andrew Butt, Whitney Dotson, Claudia Garcia and Nancy Strauch

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S A N F R A N C I S C OB A Y T R A I L P R O J E C TRichmond

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