Are there any environmental considerations?
All transportation projects have environmental considerations; the Alto Tunnel project would need to go through review under CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. If the County of Marin were to determine that they were ready to move forward with opening the Alto Tunnel, the appropriate departments within the County of Marin would determine the type of environmental review necessary. Because this project is a “replacement or reconstruction of existing structures or facilities” it has a different status of review than an entirely new transportation project. Overall, opening the Alto Tunnel would produce significant health and environmental benefits for Marin County. People’s health would benefit from increased walking/jogging/cycling, and environmental benefits would be accrued from motor vehicle trip reduction. The existence of a flat, straight, car-free route would attract people who might walk or bicycle today, but are dissuaded due to the hills and current levels of automob
