When I was chair of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA),  Regional Measure 3 (RM3) was being drafted. As chair, I was granted some additional and substantial informal influence over determining
the allocation of funding. With the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge congestion in mind, I was able to get a $75 million allocation intended to help relieve congestion on the east end of the bridge.

The Richmond City Council is now asking MTC to spend $10 million of that allocation on really good projects, but projects that probably will have little or no impact on bridge congestion. The City’s plan is
described below. The plan is to use money from the RM3 allocation to backfill funding from the TCC grant withdrawn by the Trump administration.

The question is whether the people of Richmond would rater see this RM3 funding used to directly relieve bridge congestion or be spread out all over west Richmond for street improvements.

Regional Measure 3 (RM3)

Regional Measure 3 (RM3), approved by Bay Area voters in 2018, finances highway and transit improvements by increasing tolls on the region’s state-owned bridges. As part of the RM3 Expenditure Plan, funding
was specifically set aside for transportation projects in the City of Richmond to improve access to the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge.

A portion of this allocation has been designated to support the construction of two of the TCC Richmond Rising projects, Neighborhood Complete Streets and Richmond Wellness Trail Phase II:

1. Neighborhood Complete Streets. The Neighborhood Complete Streets Project will support safe and comfortable pedestrian and bicycle connectivity from
   Richmond’s Iron Triangle Neighborhood to the Richmond Ferry Terminal. This project will also fund construction for traffic signal improvements and pedestrian scale lighting. The Neighborhood Complete Streets Project features improvements on Harbour Way South,
   Wright Ave, and Ohio Ave, also linking to other bikeways at the Richmond-San Rafel Bridge.
   

Harbour Way South: This street was identified in Richmond’s Local Road Safety Plan as part of the City’s multimodal High Injury Network. Harbour Way South is a north-south connection between the Iron Triangle
and Downtown Richmond to the Richmond Ferry, serves several neighborhoods, connects to the Richmond Greenway which provides access to the Ohlone Greenway to the east and connects through Point Richmond to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge  to west. At Pennsylvania
Avenue, north of the project area, Harbour Way South connects to 13th Street. Neighborhood Complete Streets project have been planned to address the following improvements in this street:

• Chanslor Avenue to Hoffman Boulevard: 
  
• Lane reduction from four to two lanes and Class IV Bicycle Lanes
• New traffic signal at Florida Avenue and Harbour Way South to facilitate safety for all modes of transportation near Nystrom Elementary School and Richmond
  College Prep
• New traffic signals at Cutting Boulevard and Maine Avenue intersections
• Ohio Avenue and Chanslor Way intersections:
  
• Bus bulbs and bus stop enhancements for AC Transit Routes 70, 76, 675, and 681
• Tree planting
• Pedestrian scale lighting improvements
• Wright Avenue: Wright Avenue is a low-volume, east-west street that connects Harbour Way South and Marina Way South (Richmond Wellness Trail) with a
  Class III bike route that is an existing segment of the S.F. Bay Trail. Sidewalks are incomplete with gaps on both sides of the street, sharrow markings are faded, and current pavement conditions make this route less comfortable for cyclists. Neighborhood
  Complete Streets project has been planned to address the following improvements in this section of Wright Avenue Street, including:
  
• Constructing sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps on the south side of the street and completing any missing sidewalks on north side of the streets
  
• Full pavement reconstruction
• Installation of storm drain facilities
  
• Installation of thermoplastic markings 
  
• Wayfinding for Class III bicycle facility and Bay trail
• Ohio Avenue: Ohio Avenue is an east-west street that features Class IV bike lanes and connects the Richmond Greenway and Harbour Way South to bicycle
  facilities on Garrard Boulevard, which bring cyclists through Point Richmond to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Existing bike lanes that cross the BNSF Railway are in poor condition and non-compliant with the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) and
  BNSF requirements. Neighborhood Complete Streets project has been planned to address the following improvements in this street:
  
• Construct CPUC and BNSF-compliant Class IV bicycle lanes over BNSF railroad crossing
• Upgrade Class IV bike lanes from Harbour Way South to Garrard Boulevard 2. Richmond Wellness Trail. When completed will include a roadway reconfiguration
  or “road diet” on Marina Way South from the Richmond BART/Amtrak Station to the San Francisco Bay Trail.
  

2. Richmond Wellness Trail. When completed will include a roadway reconfiguration or “road diet” on Marina Way South from the Richmond BART/Amtrak Station
   to the San Francisco Bay Trail. Richmond Wellness Trail December 2, 2025 Page 4 of 5 Phase II connects neighborhoods south of Cutting Boulevard to the Richmond Greenway, a key east-west bicycle route through the City of Richmond that provides access to the
   Ohlone Greenway Trail to the east and through the Point Richmond Neighborhood to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to the west. Richmond Wellness Trail Phase II includes the following improvements on Marina Way South: 
   

• Cutting Boulevard to Wright Avenue:
  
• 12’ two-way Class IV cycle track separated by travel lanes by a 6’ median and pop-up bicycle delineators
• Road diet on Marina Way South from 4 to 2 lanes
• Addition of planting strips and tree planting throughout
  
• Wayfinding signs and improvements from Wright Avenue to Hall Avenue: 
  
• Road diet on Marina Way South from 4 to 2 lanes   8’ northbound and southbound Class IV bikeways separated by 4’ stripped buffers and popup bicycle
  delineators
• Addition of planting strips and tree planting throughout
  
• Concrete bus islands/bulbs for AC Transit Route 74 stops
• Pedestrian, vehicle, and bicycle accessibility improvements to two railroad crossings
• Wayfinding signs and improvements
  
• Hall Avenue to Richmond Charter Academy Entrance (1450 Marina Way S.)
  
• Vehicle lane width decreases from 20’ to 11-12’ in (1 lane in each direction)   6’ northbound and southbound Class IV bikeways separated by 4’ stripped
  buffers and pop-up bicycle delineators
• Wayfinding signs and improvements 
  
• Richmond Charter Academy Entrance (1450 Marina Way S.) to Bay Trail:
• Class III Bike route with sharrow markings 
  
• Wayfinding signs and improvements

If RM3 funding is not accepted, other funding sources would need to be identified to address increased projects costs and to incorporate community priorities identified through recent outreach efforts. City
staff therefore recommend that the City Council adopt the resolution to request allocation of RM3 funds, and, if awarded, accept and appropriate Regional Measure 3 (RM3) funding for construction of Neighborhood Complete Streets ($7,500,000) and Richmond Wellness
Trail Phase II ($2,500,000) (Attachment 2 and 3).