Maps for Proposed San Francisco Bay Tunnel Revealed

Plans for a new tunnel across the San Francisco Bay are shaping up as the public finally got a look at “the most detailed maps yet” showing the proposed tunnel’s route. As Benjamin Schneider reports for the San Francisco Examiner, planners for the Link21 project revealed two options for the tunnel. “One shows BART and regional rail trains — like Capitol Corridor or Caltrain — traveling side by side in a shared alignment from Oakland and Alameda to the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco.”

The second option would have two tunnels separating BART and regional trains. “Both plans hint at the possibility of a BART subway down Geary Boulevard, with the blue arrows pointing west from downtown San Francisco and labeled as a ‘possible extension.’”

Across the bay in Oakland, “Jack London Square, where the A’s are hoping to build a massive development anchored by a new ballpark, and West Oakland could become major transit hubs, hosting both BART stations and regional rail stations.”

Link21 is named for the 21 counties that could be served by new connections enabled by the project.

Schneider notes that “Link21 remains a long way from reality. Project planning and approvals are expected to last through 2027. Completion is roughly projected for 2039.”