Hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians -- and more than a few elected officials -- turned out on Friday afternoon last week to cut the ribbon on an impressive piece of infrastructure for human-powered travel -- the long-awaited Cal Park Tunnel in Marin County, California.
The project has been talked about since the late 1970s and in active development for the last 12 years. For Marin cyclists, the 1.2 mile path/tunnel combo adds a critical, safe link to the north-south bikeway that will eventually run from the Golden Gate Bridge to Cloverdale in Sonoma County. It is expected to shave nearly 15 minutes off of trips and serve up to 800,000 riders a year. And just as important: The rail right-of-way has been maintained so that in the future, SMART light rail vehicles can use the tunnel too.
The Cal Park Tunnel has some top-notch features: ample lighting, cell phone reception, emergency phone call boxes, a ventilation system and smooth pavement. To read up on loads more history of the tunnel and information, check out Streetsblog SF's great recap from last week.
