Related Projects: Marina Bay Parkway Underpass

 

January 2012

By now, as you have been driving in and out of our area, you have likely observed much of the preliminary work that has been going on along both sides of Marina Bay Parkway… both contiguous to the outer wall of The Anchorage as well as along the edge of the property by the State laboratories. Some trees and lots of ice plant have been removed. Utility line work has been going on for many months now. This is in preparation for the next stages of the work involved in preparing the area for the coming underpass.

April 13, 2011:

At the 4/13 Neighborhood Council Mtg, this was one of the items being discussed as part of the main agenda item (Richmond Redevelopment Agency projects in Marina Bay). There are currently some snags in the process. A key component to move forward with the underpass project is the creation of the so-called Meade Street Bypass road that will connect Regatta Boulevard to Meade Street so that when MB Parkway is shut down for underpass construction, traffic can use the bypass road. All permits have been approved and are in place. The land easement on the U.C. property (that is a ten year easement) is in place. After 10 years, it reverts back to U.C. PG&E has already relocated pole boxes and other utility items. The only problem is that Union Pacific Railroad has not yet granted access to the small triangle of their land that will be involved in the bypass creation. This is holding up the entire process by two to three months. Alan Wolken, of Redevelopment, stated railroad personnel are currently examining the documentation and approval is expected soon.  There has also been the DTSC soil approval. All funding is in place. The project still needs to go to bid.

The bypass road itself will be 35′ wide, will have a bike lane and guardrails.

The delay in the bypass process affects the timing of everything else.

As for the actual grade separation on Marina Bay Parkway at the tracks: all documents are being finalized; all easements are being finalized or secured. Tiebacks are in place. Right of ways in place. Relocation of sewer lines and utility lines already underway. PG&E will be rerouting the gas lines to The Anchorage as an archaeological site is part of the area and has historical significance, so the particular gas line in question has to go around it.

Funding was to be done through the sale of a state bond.  The bond is not yet issued. California is withholding the issuance right now; however, it should occur later this year and take approximately 1 month to sell. This of course will delay construction.  Of the $34 million earmarked for the project, $19 M is still approved. The project has NOT been defunded but the funding is just being pushed further into the year to await the sale of the bonds. Thus, construction, previously expected to have begun by now, will begin in the spring of 2012.

Also speaking to our group tonight was Nick Panayotou, Operations Manager for the Hanna Group. Hanna has worked on the I-80/Cypress project, Sacramento Railyards and many other major construction projects in this kind of work. He was followed by Jacqueline Majors, whom we met at last month’s MBNC mtg. She will interact with the communities to keep everyone informed about schedules, closures, detours, etc. There will be a dedicated project website which we will link up to. She plans to coordinate closely with A.C. Transit on the bus lines.

January 12, 2011:

Click here to view the latest and greatest — a terrific visual presentation of the Final Plans for the new gateway, underpass, landscaping, memorial park for fallen police, bike and pedestrian paths on BOTH sides of the Parkway, etc. See what it will all look like when construction, roadwork and landscaping are completed. It may take several seconds to download this document due to all the graphics, but be patient. When done viewing, use your back arrow to return to this page.

This PowerPoint was shown at the January 12, 2011 MBNC meeting where Richmond Redevelopment Director, Alan Wolken, and architect David Gates, of Gates & Associates, reviewed the status of the Marina Bay Grade Separation. The PowerPoint provides beautiful renderings of the planned enhanced architecture, enhanced landscaping, the Police Memorial Park, etc…..when completed, this underpass will be a huge boon to our neighborhood, ending 10-15 years of traffic blockages, and will likely contribute to our property values. NOTE: you will soon see preliminary work begin on the eastern side of Marina Bay Parkway. Major excavation and construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2011. Please read the newest handy Fact Sheet for a short summary of the plan.

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November 2010:  The latest meeting on the Grade Separation was held with the Design Review Board on November 10.  To view the latest and greatest visual information for our beautiful new planned structure at the railroad crossing, click here.   This PowerPoint presentation may take a few seconds to load, so be patient, but the good news is that 2011 is around the corner and soon we’ll be posting construction schedules!!  Stay tuned….. it’s coming soon!!  When it’s all complete (once underway, it should take no more than 16-18 months) waiting for those lonnnnnng trains to cross Marina Bay Parkway will be a fading memory.

 

For those interested in as much recent history of this project as we could pull together, see all the articles and links below. Find out why the structure will be called the Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass and find out about the funding and other key aspects to this exciting project.

 

By a narrow margin residents — both homeowners, renters, business owners and some developers in the area, voted for the Enhanced plan versus Unenhanced plan for the planned Grade Separation (additional information posted on this website’s News page on 9/30).  In the simplest terms, this will mean a shorter construction phase with full road closures, detours and more money for architectural, landscaping and lighting enhancements.  

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The Town Hall meeting was held on Monday, Aug. 23.  Representatives from Richmond Redevelopment Agency, the landscape architecture and engineering firms [see links at bottom of this page] gave an informative presentation at this meeting and showed the current status of the “grade separation” project, with additional, greatly detailed slides showing the “basic” plan and the “enhanced” plan.  The speakers fielded many questions from the residents of Marina Bay neighborhood — a cross section of business owners, homeowners, tenants.  The latest fact sheet provides some visuals of the “basic” and “enhanced” plans which are more detailed in the presentation.  Remember:  whether you are a homeowner, or tenant, or business owner, you will be asked to vote on the ballot being mailed later this week (approx 8/26)  You will be asked to check your preference for either a shortened construction plan with road closures and detours, OR a much longer construction plan with only one lane open in each direction (the longer construction plan will undoubtedly create major traffic backups if two lanes are closed out of the current four; this traffic is expected to be averted by a full road closure which will mean detour routes are continuously open, heading both east and west).  Details, maps, explanations, pdf of the ballot, etc. are in the presentation.   

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EARLY NOTICE OF UPCOMING MEETING ABOUT CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE:  The Redevelopment Agency will hold a special meeting for the Marina Bay community August 23, 2010, to discuss the underpass construction schedule. Under consideration is a shortened 18 month construction schedule with attendant road closures, or a longer construction schedule with fewer road closures.  A Notice of Public Hearing will be mailed to all property owners. Please attend both of these important meetings.  Click here to see the postcard (both front and back) for the 8/23 meeting, which will soon arrive in your US Mail box.  Also, please read the brand new Fact Sheet that was presented at the 8/11 MBNC meeting and the new presentation showing the two final designs (one is “enhanced” and one is considered “unenhanced”… make sure to also read the August MBNC Meeting minutes for more information).  To return to this page after viewing the various linked documents, simply click your “back” or left arrow in your browser.

Documents below are the previous, June 9 fact sheet and June PowerPoint. Please return to this website for ongoing news, maps, schedules, information, as they become available.

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For those who are unfamiliar with the grade separation / underpass project, please read this older basic fact sheet:

If you’d prefer even more in-depth information, please refer to the following links about this eagerly anticipated, long-awaited project: 

Also, under “Minutes & Archives” refer to minutes for January 13, 2010, April 14, 2010 and August 11, 2010 MBNC meetings, for additional information.

As soon as more information is available regarding road closures, construction schedules, bypass roads, alternate driving routes in and out of Marina Bay, etc., that information will appear on this page and on our Google calendar.