Remember when officials promised us in May that the bike path connecting the East Bay to Yerba Buena Island would fully, finally open in September? Well, yeah, about that. The Chronicle reports that the project has been delayed yet again.
Apparently this time around it doesn't have to do with parts of the eastern span of the old Bay Bridge being in the way, and rather involves the area on the island where the path is supposed to connect to the ground. It hasn't been prepared, still.
According to the paper, crews need more time "to grade, pave and stripe the road where the bike path will touch down." Why that work on the island couldn't have been done concurrently with other work on the elevated path is a bit of a mystery — perhaps one cyclists can ponder while they wait another month for the now-scheduled mid-October opening date.
Oh, and when the path does finally touch ground, no one should exactly expect a smooth ride. A temporary route will run along Hillcrest Road and Treasure Island Roads until a permanent bike path is built along Macalla Road. No word on how long that project is expected to take — even without likely future delays.
In November of last year, the Chronicle informed us that the cycling community had started referring to the unfinished 2.2-mile-long path as “the world’s longest bike pier” and “the bike path to nowhere.” It seems like that nickname will stick around for at least another month.
Previously: Officials: Bay Bridge East Span Bike Path Will Finally Fully Open This September
Delays Continue To Mount On Bay Bridge Bike Path
