Ever since the Bay Bridge’s bike path opened two years ago, a few days after the first cars crossed the new east span, bicyclists have been waiting, mostly patiently, to pedal to Yerba Buena and Treasure islands.

Instead, they’ve had to halt at a white metal railing placed across the path just past the bridge’s tower, turn their bikes around and ride back to Oakland — even though Yerba Buena Island sits a tantalizing 568 yards away.

Though Caltrans officials’ latest promise was to open the bike path by the end of the year, it looks like cyclists will have to hit the brakes again, at least for a couple more months. And, once they make it to land, they’ll have to navigate a somewhat hazardous temporary route to Treasure Island.

As for pedaling all the way to downtown San Francisco? That’s likely to take many more years. Feasibility studies are under way, but no plan exists yet, and funding is even more uncertain.

Caltrans has not yet publicly announced the bike path’s latest delay — which is at least the third. Agency spokeswoman Leah Robinson-Leach said issues with the design, manufacture and shipping of the steel deck pieces for the path have slowed work. And Caltrans officials are also counting on El Niño to deliver rain delays.

“The bike path is expected to open in early 2016,” she said by e-mail.

Back to Gallery Chronicle Watch: Cyclists spin wheels at Bay Bridge bike... 8 1 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle 2 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle 3 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle 4 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle 5 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle 6 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle 7 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle 8 of 8 Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle















Bicyclists hanging on

But the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, which will guide the bicyclists once they land on the island, now predicts a summer 2016 opening.

While the current, unfinished path is popular among bike riders and pedestrians who enjoy the expansive views — especially on weekends — it’s also become known as “the world’s longest bike pier” and “the bike path to nowhere.”

Cyclists weren’t happy to hear about the delays, but many are more resigned than angered.

“It would be great to be able to bike to San Francisco, or even Treasure Island,” said Thomas Denesha, who works at BART’s 19th Street bike station in downtown Oakland. “We’ve been waiting for a while.”

Opening postponed

When bicycling advocates persuaded Caltrans in 1999 to put a bike path on the new span — a decision pooh-poohed by critics who said nobody would want to pedal across a bridge — the idea was to open it at the same time as the bridge itself.

That remained the plan until 2012, when Caltrans announced it couldn’t open the path for two years because an abutment from the old east span stood in the way and would need to be demolished. Then, this year, Caltrans said delays in demolition work would postpone the opening from July 1 until the end of the year.

Once the bike path does make it to Yerba Buena Island, cyclists will face another delay.

The long-term plan is for a bike lane, part of it separated from traffic, to be built on the island’s Macalla Road, which provides a direct, if steep, route to Treasure Island.

But because contractors are building new on-ramps and off-ramps to Treasure Island in that area, bike riders will be detoured to a temporary route along Hillcrest Road and Treasure Island Road.

Too close for comfort

The narrower route, said Renee Rivera, executive director of the advocacy group Bike East Bay, will force cyclists to ride alongside drivers zipping down the existing off-ramp from the bridge toward Treasure Island.

She had believed the temporary route would be in use for just a couple of months, but Eric Young, a spokesman for the Transportation Authority, said it will be closer to two years.

He said the authority is working with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to come up with a plan to make the temporary bike route as safe as possible.

As for the ultimate connection — from the islands to San Francisco — the path ahead is unknown. A consultant, hired by the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission late last year, is looking for affordable ways to add a bike lane to the 2-mile western span. Original plans estimated a cost of $400 million to $500 million, and there’s no funding available for the project.

Plans to develop Treasure Island also call for a ferry to and from the Ferry Building, which would allow bike commuters to make the connection. But no plans — or dates — have been announced.

Stuck in the middle

For now, and at least the next few months, frustrated bike riders are stuck with a path that ends above the middle of the bay.

“I’m not shocked, outraged or surprised,” said Joel Tornatore, 51, of Piedmont, a software writer who rode the path with a friend and their children Thursday afternoon. “It seems like just another one of those projects that just never gets done. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just a way of life in California.”

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan

Tell Chronicle Watch what needs fixing

If you know of something in the Bay Area that needs to be improved or fixed, The Chronicle wants to hear from you. E-mail your issue to chroniclewatch@sfchronicle.com, or reach us on Twitter at @sfchronwatch.