The bicycle and pedestrian path across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge opened on November 16, 2019, enabling cyclists and pedestrians to take in breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay while traveling between Marin and Contra Costa counties.With the opening of the new path, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is now part of the San Francisco Bay Trail. The roughly six-mile bicycle and pedestrian path for the first time connects the Bay Trail between Contra Costa and Marin counties, adding another link to the future 500-mile bicycle and hiking network benefits for residents in both counties.

The path runs along the north side of Interstate 580 from Castro Street in Richmond across the upper deck of the bridge to East Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael. Cyclists and pedestrians on the 10-foot wide, bi-directional path on the bridge’s upper deck will be separated from traffic by a movable concreate barrier system, similar to the one installed on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2015.

The estimated $20 million path project was developed in tandem with conversion of the right shoulder on eastbound I-580 to a third traffic lane for peak-period use from Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in San Rafael to the Richmond Parkway/Point Richmond exit in Richmond. BATA partnered with Caltrans, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the Transportation Authority of Marin on both of these projects.

Pathway Hours

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Access

Two access points provide a direct route to the bicycle and pedestrian path: one at the Vista Point at the end of East Francisco Boulevard/San Quentin off-ramp from westbound Interstate 580 in San Rafael, and a second at Castro Street and Tewksbury Avenue in Point Richmond. See November 2019 I-580 Improvement Project Map in the Related Documents on this page for more detail.

Review the map for more information.