Some 37 years after it was first proposed, a bridge for pedestrians (and bicycles) has finally spanned the railroad tracks between Powell and 40th streets in Emeryville. At 11:15 Saturday night, a crane lifted the red steel pre-built arch over the tracks while workers busily fastened it down on both the east and west anchorages. The next several months will bring completion of the ancillary approaches and other finishes. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able cross the completed span in summer of 2021.
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| The elevator at the pedestrian bridge at the Amtrak Station was out of service again Saturday. |
As if by design to serve as a counterpoint, the elevator at the Amtrak Station pedestrian bridge that also spans the railroad tracks was out again on Saturday, a perennial frustration that has helped spur the new bridge.
The South Bayfront bridge has gone through a very tortured path over the years to finally get to this point. Its first iteration, proposed by then City Manager Joe Tanner was a modest crossing only for pedestrians with stairs and elevators at either end. Later, in 2005, a bicycle contingent led by soon-to-be-elected City Councilman John Fricke said any bridge built there must include bicycles. Pushback against Mr Fricke’s bike friendly bridge idea came from the next City Manager, John Flores, who said bicyclists represented a “ruffian element” and that the bridge design should preclude bikes because bicyclists could use it as an escape route from crimes. Luckily, Mr Flores’ argument didn’t win the day and after a selection process, the new design allowing for bike riders became the final plan. As late as 2011, it appeared the bridge would never be completed after the State attempted to seize money set aside by the Emeryville Redevelopment Agency.
After the City passed on an ambitious plan by the Emeryville based visionary architect/designer Eugene Tssui, the final design of the pedestrian/bike bridge has been called ‘pedestrian in use and design' in the sense that it lacks excitement or innovation. It may not be too beautiful but it's certainly a long overdue stitching together of railroad divided east and west Emeryville.
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| A train roared past minutes before the crane began lifting the span into place. |
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| It was all finished up by 12:30 AM. |
Thank you for that Brian. What a convoluted path to a common sense need. Was it developer money that finally nudged that forward?
ReplyDeleteIt was John Fricke that nudged it forward, 100%.
DeleteGreat job by Emeryville Architect Eugene Tssui.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should know that he is local!
Mr Tssui's design was not selected.
DeleteThanks so much, is very nice, and well done for everyone! I walked the tracks With John about 10 years ago; thanks millions, John and Brian and bike riders everywhere! Claire Risley
ReplyDeleteActually, I think it was two other City staff in the 2000's who were the biggest opponents of the bike-friendly design. Steve Cutright, the Emeryville Fire Chief, and Hank Van Dyke, the Public Works Director, were there in the 2000's and they protested the ramps for cyclists. On the Bay Street side they said it wasn't safe for fire fighters and that elevators were more space-efficient. Then John Fricke came along and won the day by showing that ramps could work and that the elevator at the Amtrak station was always breaking down.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember those two. The City of Emeryville likes to fashion itself as being very pro-bike but this is only a recent phenomenon. City Hall staff members and Council members were openly hostile to biking concerns. I remember advocating for bike racks to be placed at City Hall and being told no because bikes are for children and children don’t ride to City Hall. Even at the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, as late as 2005 there was a majority that fought against fellow committee member John Fricke’s bike advocacy. He proposed taking away two vehicle travel lanes from Adeline Street to provide bike lanes and other things like protected bike lanes but got slammed down by the BPAC majority. I remember being shocked that bike committee members could be anti-bike but bikes were always pitted against vehicle accessibility in a zero sum fashion, as in, to make it better for bikes means that you have to make it worse for cars. There’s still this kind of thinking happening here. The embrace of bikes here in Emeryville has been only a few years in the making but even as it now seems ubiquitous, it’s a mile wide and an inch deep. The Bike Boulevard network still to this day cannot be implemented because of this kind of thinking on the City Council.
DeleteThanks for your comment.
and we all know what happened to hank van dyke.
ReplyDeletemaybe john fricke might run for city council again?
if banning leaf blowers and two stroke engines ever comes to pass in eville, be sure to give john fricke and me credit. it failed back then but our committee was only two persons!
ReplyDelete