The Richmond–San Rafael Bridge is stepping into the spotlight again, as transportation officials launch the next phase of a high-stakes regional test over who this span really serves. A newly approved study plan is clearing the way for a multi-year equity and feasibility analysis that will mix automated counters, surveys, interviews and workshops to figure out whether the upper-deck bike and pedestrian path should stay as is, get reconfigured, or be handed back to peak-period vehicle traffic. Planners say they will weigh safety, travel times and equity trade-offs before any long-term changes land on the table.
As reported by the Marin Independent Journal, the study methodology was approved last Monday, and Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority have selected the Transportation and Sustainability Center at UC Berkeley to lead the work. Project staff told the paper the analysis will look closely at potential equity impacts on drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, nearby residents and other vulnerable populations. The approved plan calls for a mix of automated counters, a community equity survey, targeted interviews, focus groups and public workshops that will inform any future permit amendment.
Caltrans District 4 details the current modified pilot schedule and operations: the upper-deck path is open from Thursdays at 2 PM through Sundays at 11 PM, and a movable barrier is shifted during weekday closure hours to create a shoulder lane. Caltrans also notes that a free shuttle operates roughly from 6 AM to 8 PM on days the path is closed, carrying cyclists and pedestrians across the bridge. The agency frames the pilot as one piece of the broader Westbound Improvement Project and says the equity findings will feed into environmental review and design decisions.
Timeline and review steps
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission set permit conditions that require annual reports and a formal presentation of pilot findings. Staff directed that a written report and oral briefing be delivered to the commission by Dec. 31, 2028. Those deadlines are tied to contingencies in the permit that would either allow the modified pilot to continue or require a return to full-time public access if the Westbound Improvement Project does not advance on schedule. Agency officials told local reporters that an interim report is expected ahead of the 2028 presentation and that a final proposal could extend into 2030 as CEQA and design work wrap up.
How the study will measure use and equity
The equity study will lean on both numbers and narratives, combining automated counters with surveys and interviews to build a picture of who uses the bridge and how. Preliminary counter data reported by the Marin Independent Journal showed about 840 bicycle trips on March 8, 2026, and roughly 570 trips the day before. Earlier pilot counts have swung widely, from single-digit days to peaks of several hundred riders…