Marin County’s Cal Park Tunnel (finally) opens to much fanfare!
In what was one of the most incredible showings of humanity for the opening of a bicycle & pedestrian path anywhere in the U.S., hundreds of cyclists - and hundreds more walkers and elected officials - showed up on a Friday afternoon to cut the ribbon on the long-awaited Cal Park Tunnel in Marin County, California.
The project has been talked about since the late 70s and in active development for the last twelve years. For Marin cyclists, the 1.2 mile bike-ped 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 also 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 StreetsblogSF's great recap from last week.
