TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

Spring 2010

Project Update:
Envisioning a Stunning Park at the
Foot of the Landmark New Bay Bridge East Span

Right now, it’s a ragged and underused patch of waterfront dotted with a few dilapidated structures, and carpeted with more asphalt and brown dirt than anything green. But over the next few years, the area will begin the transformation into Gateway Park, a landscaped and amenity-rich urban oasis gracing the Oakland touchdown of the new Bay Bridge East Span.

“It’s a world-class bridge, and we’re looking for a world-class park,” said Dan McElhinney, chief deputy district director for Caltrans District 4, at a recent public workshop that drew more than 100 people.

The park will be stitched together from several parcels mostly sitting on the south side of the bridge touchdown, including land that will be opened up when the existing East Span is demolished. It is envisioned as a regional destination that will celebrate — and offer sweeping vistas of — the new landmark bridge while providing a window to the activity at the nearby Port of Oakland, with its towering container cranes.

“The port itself is a remarkable thing to look at,” said Sarah Kuehl, a partner with PWP Landscape Architecture of Berkeley, which is mapping out the park in conjunction with Perkins + Will, an architectural design firm in San Francisco.

The park will provide much-needed recreational facilities for the nearby neighborhood of West Oakland, and serve as a launch pad and resting area for trips along the new East Span’s scenic bicycle and pedestrian path.

Planners also have been discussing the possibility of incorporating public art, and renovating one of the existing buildings into a transportation museum with a special focus on bridges. Concessions like a restaurant, cafe and bike rentals will also likely be part of the package.

Members of the public attending the recent workshop were eager to submit their own ideas for the park on sticky notes and comment cards. “Think BIG!!” wrote one attendee. Popular amenities like a dog park and skateboarding park came up, as did some more unusual potential uses, including big-band dances, open-air cinema, yoga classes and opportunities for flash mob activities like pillow fights.

Overseeing the effort is the Gateway Park Working Group, consisting of nine agencies with a stake in the site, including MTC’s Bay Area Toll Authority.
— Brenda Kahn

For updates and info on a June workshop, visit <BayBridgeGatewayPark.org>.

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Contents

• Iconic Self-Anchored Suspension Span Begins to Rise From the Bay
• Nominations Open for 2010 Excellence in Motion Transportation Awards
• Project Update: Envisioning a Stunning Park at the Foot of the Landmark New Bay Bridge East Span
• Briefs:
  • Transactions Survey Points to Hybrid Approach
  • Commission Approves Toll Hike Package for Earthquake Safety
  • 16th Annual Bike to Work Day
  • 2009 Annual Report: “Transit in Transition”
  • Tracking East Span Construction in Real Time