Marin North-South Greenway gets $10 million

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metropolitan Transportation Commission awarded $10.6 million in regional toll dollars this week to Marin County's North-South Greenway project.

The money will go to the Transportation Authority of Marin for work on the northern segment of the bicycle and pedestrian pathway.

"This is such a critical project for Marin bicyclists and pedestrians," said Damon Connolly, a Marin supervisor who sits on MTC's board. "It makes the route safer for all users and improves access to Golden Gate ferries at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. It will do the same for Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit when the Larkspur train connection is completed next year."

TAM proposes phasing the northern segment: The first phase would cross Corte Madera Creek next to Highway 101, the second would extend the path along Old Redwood Highway in Larkspur.

"The North-South Greenway has long been a top priority for MCBC," said Jim Elias, executive director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. "It's the primary 'active transportation' artery through Marin and Sonoma Counties.

"Each time we close a gap in the Greenway, we make it easier and safer for people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes, whether for transportation or recreation," Elias said.

The funds come from the 2004 voter-approved Regional Measure 2, which increased tolls on state bridges by $1 for transportation projects.  In all, $19 million in toll dollars will go to the greenway project.

In 2016, a $10 million bike and pedestrian bridge over Sir Francis Drake Boulevard that is part of the North-South Greenway was opened and funded with toll dollars. The Cal Park Hill Tunnel, also part of the greenway, was funded with $25 million in RM2 dollars and opened in 2010. 

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

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SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission