San Rafael, CA – Four bridges along the popular Mill Valley-Sausalito Multiuse Pathway will be tested over the next few months as part of a multi-year bridge planning project.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors awarded a $274,991 contract on October 20 to a consulting team led by a firm called CIC Inc., which performs structural, environmental, hydrological, geotechnical and public outreach services. The 
Marin County Department of Public Works will oversee the study, which is funded by the federal Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program.
Assistant Engineer Chris Good said the consultants will test the bridges over the next four months and that information will be used to analyze alternatives for future retrofits or replacements of these structures. The work will result in a few days of on-site testing during which minor delays for path users could occur. Geotechnical soil testing will kick off the effort on October 29. Trucks and other equipment will block portions of the path, and bike riders might need to dismount and walk their bike around the work zone. (Don't forget to Share the Path!)
The goal of the evaluation is to better understand the existing conditions of the four bridges between Gate 6 on the Sausalito waterfront and East Blithedale Avenue in Mill Valley. Engineers will assess the bridges’ remaining service life and the environmental constraints of possible retrofitting and replacement projects. The 3.1-mile pathway and its bridges were constructed more than 30 years ago.
The Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Since the program was launched in 2006, many Marin projects – the Cal Park Hill Tunnel, Enfrente-Commuter Connection in Novato, Los Ranchitos/Las Gallinas Bike Lanes in San Rafael, and several stairway and sidewalk projects – have benefitted from the federal funding. The projects served people of all ages and abilities, and provided safe, convenient places to walk or ride. In addition to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, Marin benefitted with traffic congestion relief, low-cost travel alternatives and improved public health.