The Berkeley I-80 bridge also known as the University Avenue pedestrian bridge and the Berkeley Marina overpass is a -wide bridge spanning the

Eastshore Freeway Interstate 80 (I-80) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey. The segment of I-80 in California runs east from San Francisco across the San Francisco ...

( Interstate 80 /580) in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

. It forms part of the

San Francisco Bay Trail The San Francisco Bay Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian trail that when finished will allow continuous travel around the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. As of 2020, of the trail have been completed. When finished, the trail will be over of p ...

History

The bridge was constructed to allow bicycles, pedestrians, and wheelchair users access to the Berkeley Marina,

Eastshore State Park McLaughlin Eastshore State Park is a state park and wildlife refuge along the San Francisco Bay shoreline of the East Bay between the cities of Richmond, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland. It encompasses remnant natural wetlands, rest ...

, and the city. In the city records, the bridge is referred to as the "City of Berkeley Eastshore Pedestrian Overcrossing". The bridge has two lanes for bikes and a raised sidewalk and is wide enough to carry emergency vehicles. Crossing 14 lanes of traffic, the main span is long and the elevated approaches total in length. Opened on February 27, 2002, the bridge was built at a cost of $6.4 million. The new pathway created a route in compliance with the

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

between Berkeley and its Marina and waterfront park region. Prior to its construction, the only wheelchair accessible route was via an undercrossing to the north. Bicycles and pedestrians alternately use a path and stairwell that ran under and along the University Avenue freeway overpass. Since opening, the bridge has seen a much higher use than the previous path and stairwell. The National Bicycle Greenway has used it since 2003 in its Oakland to Berkeley Mayors' Ride.

References

* ''Berkeley Daily Planet'', February 28, 2002

External links

Consulting firm's web page
*
Photos of the opening
{{Coord, 37.86444, N, 122.30318, W, region:US-CA_type:landmark, display=title Bridges completed in 2002 Buildings and structures in Berkeley, California Interstate 80 Pedestrian bridges in California Through arch bridges in the United States 2002 establishments in California Bridges in Alameda County, California San Francisco Bay Trail Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Cyclist bridges in the United States Articles with WikiMiniAtlas displaying incorrectly; WMA not showing route

History

See also

References

External links