Bay Skyway

The Multimodal Bay Skyway will connect the East Bay with Treasure Island by expanding the existing bicycle/pedestrian pathway on the East Span of the Bay Bridge (solid pink line) and adding new transit connections between Treasure Island and San Francisco. The West Oakland Link and Yerba Buena Island Multi-use Path will extend the existing path into Oakland and to Treasure Island's bus and ferry terminal. A frequent electric ferry from Treasure Island to the SF Ferry Building will be launched, and a transit-only lane for express bus trips to San Francisco will be developed.

Download an expanded version of the project area map.

• Sustainability: Adds a new sustainable and low-cost mode of travel to the Bay Bridge corridor as well as capacity to the Bay Bridge corridor without increasing vehicle-miles traveled (VMT), greenhouse gas emissions or air pollution. The Multimodal Bay Skyway supports car-free development with a Transbay pathway and electric ferry network that will help residents establish sustainable transportation habits starting on move-in day.
• Access: Provides a bicycle/e-bike/micromobility connection between the two cities with the lowest car ownership rates in California. Also provides 20,000 future residents of Treasure Island with improved transit and bicycle access to the East Bay and regional rail such as BART, Capitol Corridor and Amtrak.
• Benefiting Disadvantaged Communities: Bay Skyway will provide access to union jobs and provide an affordable transportation option for residents of disadvantaged communities on both sides of the Bay. 
• Car-Free Housing: In the next decade, significant housing development is planned adjacent to Multimodal Bay Skyway. Projects include 8,000 units on Treasure Island, 5,000 in West Oakland and 29,000 in downtown Oakland, including thousands of affordable homes. 

The Bay Skyway is a critical segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail which, when complete, will give hikers, joggers, bicyclists, skaters and wheelchair users access to more than 500 miles of trails encircling the bay. With the rapid adoption of electric bicycles (e-bikes), the Bay Skyway will also provide an alternative for Bay Area residents to cross the Bay without adding to roadway or transit congestion.

The Bay Skyway is included in Plan Bay Area 2050 as part of the "Build Complete Streets Network" strategy to promote walking, biking and small electric micromobility vehicles (such as e-scooters) throughout the Bay Area.

MTC, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), Caltrans District 4, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Alameda County Transportation Commission and San Francisco Bay Ferry are working on several projects in two phases to extend the path and connect downtown San Francisco and the East Bay.

Multimodal Bay Skyway Phase One is made up of two key projects, which are both currently undergoing design and are planned to open in 2029. 

1. The two paths, including the West Oakland Link, will extend the existing San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge East Span Path further to the east by constructing the missing connection to West Oakland, connecting with planned protected bike lanes on Grand Avenue to Downtown Oakland.
2. The Yerba Buena Island multi-use path will connect the East Span Path to the Treasure Island intermodal hub. From there, travelers can take a bus or ferry to San Francisco.
   • The electric ferry will have new service at 15-minute intervals between Treasure Island and the San Francisco Ferry Building.
   • There will be a one-way bus lane between Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge West Span that will slash bus travel time for transit users.

The West Oakland Link and Yerba Buena Island multi-use path are both in the detailed design phase with construction to start in 2026 and opening planned for 2029. Electric ferry service is planned to begin in late 2025.

Current Multimodal Bay Skyway projects are estimated to cost approximately $202 million to construct, including the West Oakland Link, the Yerba Buena Island path and ferry electric charging infrastructure.

Competitive California state grants, including the Active Transportation Program and the Senate Bill 1 Solutions for Congested Corridors Program and Local Partnership Program are being pursued to fund these projects, along with other federal and local funding sources.

The Bay Skyway Phase Two project will construct a bicycle and pedestrian pathway on the Bay Bridge West Span, which will allow a continuous route to walk, bike and e-bike between the East Bay and San Francisco. The path will have the capacity to carry 7,500 bicycle trips and 4,500 walkers per hour across the Bay.  This project will rely on the Multimodal Bay Skyway to connect the West Span path to the thousands of new residents on Treasure Island and to downtown Oakland through the West Oakland Link. 

The Bay Skyway will help shift transbay trips to biking, e-biking, and other micromobility options. This will reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, while providing low-cost transportation options for Bay Area residents.

Contractors submitted designs in 2016 and shared them with the public in 2018. A design was chosen for a path on the north side of the West Span of the Bay Bridge. This path will end in San Francisco at Essex Street.

On Yerba Buena Island, the East Span and West Span paths will connect to a new pathway parallel to Hillcrest Road.

View the details of the proposed design.

Watch the video to learn more about the proposed West Span Path.

Paying for the West Span Path is the project’s biggest challenge. Estimated costs for a project like this run into the hundreds of millions of dollars and no source of funding has yet been identified. State and Federal environmental analysis, the next step in the Phase 2 project, may be completed in 2026. If funding is secured, Phase 2 could open as early as 2033.

Design problems to solve so that the project can move forward include earthquake safety, strong winds, access for maintenance crews, maintaining boat clearance, connections to existing bicycle/pedestrian network and environmental impacts.