San Rafael gets grant to advance Canal bridge project

By Adrian Rodriguez | arodriguez@marinij.com | Marin Independent Journal

UPDATED: January 28, 2025 at 10:51 AM PST

San Rafael has received a grant of nearly $1.6 million for the study and preliminary design of a proposed bicycle and pedestrian bridge crossing from the Canal neighborhood to Third Street, officials said.

The announcement, a step toward fulfilling a long-term goal, came last week as part of a progress report on the “Canal community-based transportation plan.” The five-year strategy approved in 2022 identifies 11 projects — including the proposed bridge — aimed at improving infrastructure for walking, biking, driving and taking transit.

“The bridge will be a game changer,” said Councilmember Maika Llorens Gulati, whose District 1 includes the Canal neighborhood. “As a council member, I would love to see it in my lifetime.”

The $1.575 million grant is from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The proposed bridge has been one of the more desired projects since the original community-based plan was approved in 2006. The proposal would place the bridge in the area of Canal and Harbor streets over the San Rafael Creek to Third Street.

Right now, the only route from the neighborhood to sites such as the Montecito Shopping Center, San Rafael High School and San Pedro Elementary School is by walking on Francisco Boulevard East to the Grand Avenue bridge, which for some adds 20 minutes of travel time.

Omar Carrera, chief executive officer of the Canal Alliance, a nonprofit serving the immigrant community, said the grant is a “major milestone.”

“This long-awaited project, prioritized by Canal families and leaders for decades, will redefine connectivity, expand opportunities, and enhance community health,” Carrera said.

“The December 2024 tsunami warning, along with the limited access to the freeway, underscored the Canal’s vulnerability to emergencies and flooding, making this bridge even more critical,” he said. “Once built, it will provide a safe and reliable connection for residents to schools, jobs, transit, and other essential destinations.”

Not all projects are to be completed within the five-year time frame, but the plan establishes annual benchmarks for each of the 11 efforts.

For the bridge, the five-year goal is to secure funding for the feasibility study, design and engineering.

The bridge must allow for boats to traverse the canal. The feasibility study would identify and compare potential bridge options, costs and impacts, according to the plan.

April Miller, director of public works, said the plan estimated the project would cost $5 million to $10 million. At the Jan. 21 presentation, Miller said it would likely be closer to $25 million and it will take years to complete.

Miller said with the grant funding, city officials plan to seek a contractor to complete a feasibility study. Once that study is done, staff would have a better idea of cost and if such a bridge project is possible.

If it is feasible, then staff will seek funding to build it, Miller said.

Another milestone highlighted in the update was the award of a $2 million grant to fund continued study of improvements connecting Highway 101 to Interstate 580, which will involve bicycle and pedestrian work on Bellam Boulevard. The grant was awarded to the Transportation Authority of Marin, which is leading the project, from U.S. Department of Transportation’s federal “reconnecting communities program.”

The project, which is under environmental review, is officially called the “US 101/I-580 Multimodal and Local Access Improvement Project.” Planners aim to improve connectivity to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge while also relieving gridlock on Canal neighborhood streets, among other goals.

Other projects in the plan include new access to bicycles and scooters through rideshare programs and new secure bike parking and bicycle education. Staff said the Redwood Bike share pilot program that offers rentals between Marin and Sonoma counties includes eight hubs in San Rafael and two in the Canal area.

One effort involves a host of projects to slow drivers and improve pedestrian crossings. Staff said the city enhanced and refreshed striping on most of the streets in the Canal neighborhood in 2022. That year, the intersection at Catalina and Bellam boulevards was converted to an all-way stop controlled intersection to make the crossing safer.

This past fall, staff also added a temporary traffic circle at Spinnaker Point Drive at Catalina Boulevard, added curb and median extensions in the area and added speed humps on Spinnaker Point Drive between Bahia Way and Catalina Boulevard.

The city is evaluating whether to make the improvements permanent.

The neighborhood plan also calls for sidewalk improvements, such as sidewalk shaving to reduce tripping hazards, which was completed in 2022 and 2023. The city also approved a plan in 2023 to bury overhead utilities on Canal Street between Medway Road and Spinnaker Point Drive, as well as a few side streets.

Joanna Kwok, assistant public works director, said the project will be funded from “Rule 20a,” the California Public Utilities Commission regulation that required PG&E to allot a certain amount of work credits each year for communities to place overhead electrical lines below ground. The project is in line to get underway in 2026.

Improving public lighting on neighborhood streets is another effort that began a few years ago. The city has upgraded 34 streetlights on Canal, Larkspur, Hoag, Novato, Fairfax and Sonoma streets, Miller said.

Officials are also evaluating potential lighting fixtures to be included in the Pickleweed upgrade, which is under construction, and along Starkweather path, a linear park, Miller said.

Regarding transit improvements, Marin Transit is adding a new bus stop at Francisco Boulevard East, southeast of the Medway Road intersection, filling a gap in the neighborhood.

It will become the first stop in the “Canal loop,” a route from Francisco Boulevard East to Bellam Boulevard to Kerner Boulevard to Canal Street, and down Medway Road back to Francisco Boulevard East.

Marin Transit and the Transportation Authority of Marin are also seeking funding to add trips for buses that connect to San Rafael and Terra Linda high schools and Davidson Middle School.

San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin thanked staff for working with the community, the Transportation Authority of Marin and other groups to put the plan together and make progress on the goals.

“What’s so amazing about this plan is it came from the community,” Colin said. “We appreciate the update and look forward to hearing the update in a year.”