Editorial: Canal bridge makes sense for San Rafael residents
February 3, 2025
PUBLISHED: February 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM PST
Building a pedestrian bridge across the San Rafael Canal is not a new idea.
The proposal has been raised before, but usually shelved due to estimated cost and engineering challenges.
Still, it remains among the city’s goals for the heavily populated neighborhood.
A bridge, connecting the neighborhood to Third Street, would provide residents – on foot or by bike – a more direct access to stores, restaurants, businesses and services in the Montecito Shopping Center area. For students, the bridge could save time in getting to and from San Rafael High School besides making it easier to get to the campus.
For some residents, it could open job opportunities, making it easier and more affordable to get to work on the north side of the canal.
Bolstering residents’ car-free mobility is one of the reasons why Marin Transit is adding a new bus stop on the busy “Canal Loop.
The bridge grant, about $1.6 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, is a “major milestone,” says Omar Carrera, chief executive officer of the Canal Alliance, a nonprofit that serves the neighborhood’s immigrant residents.
City Councilmember Maika Llorens Gulati, whose district includes the Canal neighborhood, says the bridge would be “a game changer.”
It is a possible route that Canal residents have pushed for for years.
Officials add that the bridge could prove to be a vital evacuation route for Canal residents given the threat of rising tides to the flood-prone area.
Building the span was one of 11 transportation improvements listed in the city’s 2022 five-year strategy for the neighborhood. The goal is to secure funding for study, engineering and design of the span before 2027.
The MTC grant is a strong step toward meeting that goal.
Today, residents have to use the Grand Avenue bridge to reach destinations on the other side of the canal. A trek to United Markets or the shopping center could take 20 minutes. A bridge over the canal would change that scenario.
The challenges facing the previous proposal were establishing a footing on the north side and designing the bridge so that boat traffic can still pass under span.
The city estimates the bridge could cost $25 million to complete.
The city and MTC have long placed a priority on projects that could enhance multi-modal transportation options. This proposal fits that bill, making it easier for Canal residents to get around by walking or pedaling a bike.
Its design could be an enhancement of the waterway that history has hardly treated as a scenic asset.
The potential is there.
Maintaining access for boats is also important, especially for the marine businesses in the area and the city’s pitch to bring in federal funds for regular dredging of the tidal waterway to the bay.
The grant offers an exciting opportunity to turn a long-proposed improvement closer to a reality. It certainly faces significant challenges, but the grant will provide an opportunity to address them, both the financial and engineering hurdles, and – hopefully – move the proposal from a plan, to a blueprint to a day when it becomes a busy and important route.
