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San Francisco Bay Bridges
Pedaling across the waters of the Bay Area


Introduction

Around northern California, "the Bay" usually refers to the broadest demarcation of San Francisco Bay, including its assorted lobes and other features such as San Pablo Bay, Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, etc. That large body of water defines and divides the landscape of our "Bay Area" metropolitan region into the North Bay, the East Bay, the Peninsula, the South Bay, and so on.

Moving around and among those diverse parts of the Bay Area usually requires at least one crossing of the Bay itself. Until the 1930's, that meant using ferries to cross the water. Since then, the region has been stapled together with bridges. Most inventories count eight major highway bridges across various parts of the Bay, although that depends on the definition of "major" as well as exactly what constitutes part of the Bay.

Of those eight major bridges, five are currently configured to allow bicycle traffic. Unfortunately, the locations of the three "no bikes allowed" spans mean it can still be very difficult to chart a direct route across the Bay on two wheels. In addition, some of the bridges have much better bicycling conditions than their sister spans. UPDATE: As of November 2019, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is now open to bikes. See below.

Here's a brief survey of the bridges of San Francisco Bay from a bicycling perspective.


Benicia - Martinez Bridge

Usually referred to as the Benicia Bridge, this is actually a set of three closely grouped spans crossing the eastern end of the Carquinez Strait at the edge of Suisun Bay (which is the mouth of the Sacramento River). The bridges carry northbound Interstate 680, the Union Pacific Railroad, and southbound Interstate 680. The latter span includes a wide path—striped into two lanes—for bicycles and pedestrians, separated from traffic by a concrete barrier topped with a steel picket and rail fence.

Slightly off the beaten path at the far eastern edge of what can be considered part of San Francisco Bay, this bridge doesn't carry a large volume of bicycle traffic. However, it's easily accessible via decent bike routes and it can comprise part of an interesting and enjoyable loop when coupled with a crossing of the Carquinez Bridge.

Don't miss the vista point at the north end of the bridges. A bike path leads to the overlook with good views of the bridges, Suisun Bay, what remains of the old "mothball fleet," and Mount Diablo.

My ride across the bridge

Wikipedia


Carquinez Bridge

The Carquinez Bridge is really two side-by-side bridges spanning the Carquinez Strait between Vallejo and Crockett where the strait opens into San Pablo Bay. The old bridge (actually the second on the site) carries northbound traffic on Interstate 80. The new bridge, which replaced the original structure, is officially named the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge. It carries southbound traffic on Interstate 80 as well as the pedestrian and bicycle path. As on the Benicia bridge, a concrete barrier topped by a steel rail fence separates the path from southbound traffic. Here, the path is not striped into lanes.

Neither Vallejo nor Crockett offers much in the way of bicycling infrastructure for accessing the bridge, which means relying on local streets. On the other hand, the bike path on the bridge and the ramps up to it are well done. Once on the bridge, the views toward the west are impressive (unless cloaked in fog) and include Mount Tamalpais, Mare Island, and the mouth of the Napa River. As mentioned above, it's possible to navigate a loop by crossing the Carquinez Bridge and the Benicia Bridge.

The northern landing of the Al Zampa includes a cozy little park—accessible only by bike or foot—with benches, informative signs, and good views of the bridges and surrounding land and water.

My ride across the bridge

Wikipedia


Richmond - San Rafael Bridge

Opened in 1956, at that time apparently no one gave any consideration to crossing the bridge by bicycle, and to this day it remains unavailable to anyone who wants to pedal directly from the North Bay to the East Bay or vice versa.

However, as part of reconfiguration of the bridge (including expansion of the lower deck from two lanes to three), a bicycle and pedestrian lane is being added to the upper deck. Plans call for this to be open for bikes sometime in 2018.

UPDATE: As of 16 November 2019, the bike and pedestrian path is now open. It occupies the former westbound "break down" lane, one of three westbound lanes, meaning it climbs above the eastbound lanes in the middle of the span where the westbound lanes are stacked above the eastbound roadway. Bikes are separated from motorized traffic by a solid but movable barrier; consequently, cars and trucks are very close and very loud. The bike path itself is split into side-by-side lanes by a stripe of blue paint. Although this is technically a "cycle and pedestrian path," those on foot have no separate area, and must co-exist with bikes. The path provides no pull-outs or wide spots for stopping and admiring the views, but with a little effort it's possible to place bikes against the outboard railing on a narrow metal "shelf" beside and slightly above the pathway. Note also that the great height of the bridge makes a long climb—the bridge is almost six miles long—to the upper deck, a slight dip, another climb, and then a long descent back to ground level. Connections to networks of cycle ways at both ends of the bridge are a little awkward but reasonably good.

My ride across the bridge

Wikipedia

Metropolitan Transportation Commission news about bike path

More news about bikes on the bridge

Good news about bikes on the bridge and improved bicycle access


Golden Gate Bridge

Generally considered an engineering marvel, visually stunning, and one of the most photographed spans in the world, the queen of Bay Area bridges draws crowds of visitors from around the globe. As the only direct highway link between the North Bay and San Francisco, the bridge is usually choked with motorized traffic. It's also usually crowded with tourists, some on foot and some on ubiquitous rental bicycles.

Although bikes are allowed on the bridge, they apparently weren't in the original plan. A complicated schedule mandates that depending on the day of the week and the time of day, sometimes bikes share the eastern (bayside) sidewalk with pedestrians, and sometimes bikes have the western (oceanside) sidewalk to themselves. Riding on the eastern sidewalk can be tricky because of large numbers of pedestrians who are too busy taking selfies to heed oncoming bikes. Riding on the western sidewalk can be tricky because of the narrow path and multiple obstacles. On both sides of the bridge, the steady flow of wobbly tourists on rental bikes—many of whom stop suddenly and without warning—can prove hazardous. The sidewalks are separated from the roadway by relatively low and flimsy cables topped with one steel rail, and it's a wonder that more unwary bicyclists don't end up careening into the midst of motorized traffic.

Nevertheless, whether northbound or southbound, the Golden Gate probably has the best network of access routes for bikes, and the most interesting destinations for day rides on both side of the bridge. And of course, crossing the Golden Gate is one of the highlights of pedaling up or down the US Pacific Coast between Canada and Mexico.

Despite congestion and unpredictable pedestrians, this is a classic ride that no bicyclist should miss when pedaling in the Bay Area. If you don't have a bike with you, rentals of all kinds are easy find.

My ride across the bridge

Wikipedia

Official site


San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge: Eastern span

The eastern span of the Bay Bridge crosses from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island in mid-Bay. The new bridge includes an excellent multi-use path, wide enough so that it is striped into two bike lanes and a separate pedestrian lane. That's by far the best bicycling infrastructure of any bridge across the Bay. Access to the bridge via East Bay bike paths is being improved, and dedicated parking is conveniently located in Oakland.

Unfortunately, the bike and ped lanes are on the south side of the bridge, where the views aren't quite so spectacular. Nevertheless, as of November 2016 it's easy to ride all the way to Yerba Buena Island. From there, it's possible to ride to Treasure Island, which offers some interesting places to explore on two wheels.

While the eastern span of the Bay Bridge now boasts the best bike path of any of its sisters in the region, it remains a dead end, because there's no way to continue across the Bay to San Francisco.

My ride across the bridge

Wikipedia


San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge: Western span

When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck in 1989, part of the eastern span of the Bay Bridge collapsed. Although it was soon repaired and reopened, the disaster made it clear the vital connection between San Francisco and Oakland might not be safe when the next big quake hits. Ultimately, the eastern span was completely replaced with an entirely new bridge.

On the other hand, rather than being replaced, the western span was retrofitted in order to make it safer. That span, like the original eastern span, was built without a bike path, and that wasn't changed during the upgrade. Consequently, while it's possible to bicycle between Oakland and Yerba Buena Island on the fancy new eastern structure, it remains impossible to bike across the aged western span between Yerba Buena Island and San Francisco.

Plenty of folks would love to make that happen, though, and more than one feasibility study has been commissioned. In addition to some engineering challenges, the biggest issue is funding. Adding a bike path to the western span of the Bay Bridge would cost a ton of money, and that kind of spending is not a priority when many other components of the Bay Area transportation network—components used by far more people—are competing for the same limited pot of money.

Biking all the way from Oakland to San Francisco might become a reality some day, but probably not in my lifetime.

Wikipedia

News about plans

SF Bicycle Coalition article


San Mateo - Hayward Bridge

Opened in 1967 without a bike lane, the San Mateo Bridge—the longest bridge in the state of California—was widened for motorists in 2003, but that major project neglected to do anything for pedestrians or bicyclists. At this time there seems to be no planning for making the bridge rideable.

With the Richmond Bridge, the western span of the Bay Bridge, and the San Mateo Bridge unavailable to bikes, crossing the Bay on two wheels to San Francisco means utilizing one of these two options:

  • pedaling across the Carquinez Bridge, circling around the northern end of the Bay, and riding across the Golden Gate

  • detouring nearly to the south end of the Bay, crossing the Dumbarton Bridge, and then riding north through the Peninsula

Otherwise, take a ferry.

Wikipedia

Bay Area Bicycle Coalition news


Dumbarton Bridge

The southernmost and shortest (at approximately 1.6 miles) of the Bay bridges, the current Dumbarton Bridge—built in 1982—is the second constructed at this location, connecting Fremont on the eastern side of the Bay with Menlo Park on the western side. In addition to six lanes of motorized traffic, the Dumbarton includes a path for bikes and pedestrians.

Of the five Bay bridges which allow bicycles, this one is probably the least enticing. The architecture is utilitarian and uninspiring. The views are nothing to write home about. The bike lane is thick with debris. On the plus side, both ends of the bridge feature easy access on two wheels, and the bike lane carries few cyclists and practically no pedestrians, so there's no congestion to deal with.

While the Golden Gate Bridge and the eastern span of the Bay Bridge and even the Carquinez Bridge might beckon bicyclists simply for the sheer pleasure of riding across, the Dumbarton Bridge doesn't really measure up in that regard. It's a comparatively dull, plain jane structure in a family featuring some far more attractive and seductive sisters.

My ride across the bridge

Wikipedia

Blog about the bridge


Reaching San Francisco from the ACA "Western Express" route

Among the many carefully chosen and mapped routes of the Adventure Cycling Association (such as the Trans Am, Southern Tier, etc), the Western Express leads bicyclists across California, Nevada, and Utah. The western end of the route connects Vallejo and San Francisco by ferry due, as we've seen, to the lack of an easy way of crossing the Bay by bridge on two wheels.

There's nothing wrong with that ferry excursion, which for many westbound riders marks a memorable end to a long ride through some empty spaces on lonely highways. It's also true that many westbound riders will have no desire to extend their journey by a couple of additional days.

But for those Western Express riders who eschew the ferry, what alternatives exist? How to cross the Bay by bridge?

Westbound on the WE, from the vicinity of Fairfield (west of Sacramento), it's possible to ride toward Napa, skipping Vallejo entirely. Alternatively, it's possible to ride north from Vallejo toward Napa. From the Napa area, it's a pleasant, flat ride through wine country to Santa Rosa or Petaluma. From either of those points, riders can head south through Marin County, join the ACA Pacific Coast route, and cross the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco. By circling around the northern lobe of the Bay, this route adds about two days to the trip, or more for those who want to take a rest day or two in wine country.

UPDATE: The opening of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to bicycles as of November 2019 doesn't really help much for reaching SF from the Western Express, because of the difficulty of reaching the bridge from the WE route and its terminus in Vallejo. But—if you can get to Richmond—this bridge opens the route into Marin County and then south across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco.

For some long-distance riders, reaching San Francisco via vineyards, wineries, and the Golden Gate might be a tempting alternative to taking the ferry from Vallejo.

Connecting Santa Rosa to the ACA Pacific Coast route and ACA Western Express route

My ride through Marin County to Sausalito


More information

Our updated guide to biking the Bay Area's bridges by Tom Stienstra in the San Francisco Chronicle

Bike East Bay: Bridging the Bay

Bay Area bridges and tunnels

San Francisco Bay Trail

San Francisco Bay Trail: Bridges




Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.

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