OAKLAND (KPIX 5) — Alameda wants to build a new bridge to Oakland, just for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The island’s population is projected to increase roughly five percent by 2020, mostly on the west side.

And already traffic often clogs up the Posey Tube — the only way to drive in and out of west Alameda.

Now, neighbors and the city are talking about building a draw bridge over the estuary and into Oakland’s Jack London Square.

It would be about 600 feet long.

It could cost tens of millions of dollars to build the bridge.

When asked what her response is to those who say it’s not worth the price tag, Lucy Gigli with Bike Walk Alameda says, “Well, the estimates are that over 6,000 biking and walking trips would be made across a bridge. That’s 6,000 trips that wouldn’t be taking the Posey Tube.”

The U.S. Coast Guard has control over the estuary, including restrictions on horizontal and vertical clearance.

The City of Alameda is asking U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer to talk to the Coast Guard about it.