Editorial: Marin bike advocates’ push for North-South Greenway is paying off

The establishment of the North-South Greenway, a safe bike path running the length of the county, is a longstanding goal of Marin bike enthusiasts.

The opening of a short stretch of path between Industrial Way and the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard interchange is a milestone toward that goal.

The path provides a safer route along the busy stretch of Old Redwood Highway, providing a direct link to the crossing over Drake to SMART’s trail, its Larkspur Landing stop and the Cal Park Tunnel. Bicyclists can also take a turn at Sir Francis Drake to get to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal.

For years, bike riders have made this trek, sometimes forced to make a more circuitous route or having to deal with traffic largely focused on getting onto Highway 101.

The Greenway is still a long way from the dream of a safe path running from Golden Gate Bridge to Sonoma County, but it’s progress.

It is also the last Marin bike and pedestrian path improvement in the Regional Measure 2 fund, financed by a voter-approved toll increase in 2004.

The path through the Cal Park Tunnel and the bridge over Sir Francis Drake are two other major bike and pedestrian improvements paid for with those funds.

Work along Old Redwood Highway is not done. The Transportation Authority of Marin, the county transportation agency that is the project’s lead, has also repaved the road, reconfigured the parking and replaced guardrails. It is also working on installing new street lighting.

In addition, Larkspur city officials are planning to improve the connection with Wornum Drive, providing a safe link to a number of bike routes through Corte Madera.

Piece by piece, the Greenway is taking form.

By providing greater safety, it should encourage more people to pedal their way to the ferry, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit service, Larkspur Landing or the stores and businesses along Old Redwood.

Two of the lingering challenges facing completion of the Greenway are reopening of the Alto Tunnel between Corte Madera and Mill Valley, and the route through Sausalito to the ferry terminal.

A big obstacle is cost.

For example, a 2019 estimate put the cost of reopening the Alto Tunnel at more than $50 million.

Local biking advocates have been tireless in pushing for political support for the project, but there’s no promising source of funds to pay for it.

They are also keeping pressure on SMART to fulfill its promise to close gaps in its path from San Rafael north to Novato.

Such interest and support is what has kept the North-South Greenway a local priority and has enabled its albeit slow progress.

Increased use of the paths will support that investment and lay a strong foundation to advance the Greenway even farther.