Francisco Blvd. East Sidewalk Improvement Project

2018: The existing sidewalk along Francisco Boulevard East is traversed daily by pedestrians and bicyclists who must navigate the congestion of fire hydrants and power poles. The Francisco Boulevard East Sidewalk Widening Project is a pedestrian and bicycle improvement project that will install an 8-foot wide sidewalk/bike path along Francisco Boulevard East. The sidewalk will be widened between Vivian Street and the Grand Avenue Bridge to provide additional room for pedestrians and bicyclists.

In 2006, Congress established the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program, in which specific counties across the nation, including the County of Marin, were awarded federal funds to design and construct facilities that would enhance and encourage non-motorized transportation. The City subsequently entered into an agreement with the County of Marin in 2007 to receive funding to design a widened sidewalk along Francisco Boulevard East between Vivian Way and Grand Avenue.

In 2008, the City retained Jacobs, an engineering consulting firm, to perform extensive public outreach and produce construction plans, specifications, and an engineer’s cost estimate that were advanced to approximately the 90-percent design level. In August 2013, when additional federal funding became available, the City retained another consulting firm, CH2M Hill, to obtain environmental clearance and bring the plans and specifications package to the 100-percent design level.  The City also obtained environmental clearance (i.e., NEPA) in 2014, at which time the project went dormant due to a lack of funding.