Ohlone Greenway
| Company type | Public trail |
|---|---|
| Industry | Recreation, Transportation |
| Headquarters | San Francisco Bay Area , United States |
Area served | East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area |
| Products | Pedestrian and bicycle path |
The Ohlone Greenway serves as a dedicated route for pedestrians and cyclists within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its name honors the indigenous Ohlone people originally inhabiting this region.
Route
Beginning at the eastern edge of Ohlone Park in Berkeley—specifically at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Hearst Avenue—the Greenway extends westward until it reaches Sacramento and Delaware streets. Near the North Berkeley BART Station, the path transitions into a bike lane along city streets before returning to a separate trail that continues northwest through Albany and El Cerrito. The trail concludes at San Pablo Avenue adjacent to Baxter Creek Gateway Park in Richmond, where it links with the eastern terminus of the Richmond Greenway.
History
The route of the Ohlone Greenway mostly traces an old railroad corridor running alongside elevated BART tracks on the Richmond line. For much of its distance, there are distinct lanes for walkers and cyclists. The segment between North Berkeley BART station and Rose Street was formerly part of the Key System’s "G" Westbrae line. Meanwhile, the section stretching from Rose Street to just beyond the El Cerrito del Norte BART station was once under ownership of the Santa Fe Railroad, originally known as the California and Nevada Railroad. Elevated BART service commenced on January 29, 1973; freight operations by Santa Fe continued until May 12, 1979, permitting concurrent use of this corridor by both rail systems.
The initial portion of the Greenway was developed alongside BART construction and benefited from federal funds allocated for landscaping and aesthetic improvements, including a $400,000 federal grant.
In late 2006, an extension branching southward toward University Avenue opened along another former Santa Fe rail right-of-way between University Avenue and Delaware Street. By November 2007, Berkeley city authorities approved pushing this extension two blocks further to reach Strawberry Creek Park. The last remaining gap between Cedar Rose Park and Delaware was filled with construction completed by late 2012.
From 2011 through 2014, parts of the Greenway were temporarily closed due to seismic retrofit efforts aimed at reinforcing elevated BART tracks; these upgrades wrapped up in January 2014.
A westward connection from Baxter Creek linking to the newly established Richmond Greenway, which follows a disused Santa Fe Railroad corridor leading to Point Richmond, was finalized in 2018.
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- Bay Area Rapid Transit
- Bike paths in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Parks in Berkeley, California
- Rail trails in California
- Trails in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Transportation in Alameda County, California
- Transportation in Contra Costa County, California
- El Cerrito, California
- Albany, California