Bay Area commuters could soon have a new emissions-free option for crossing the water.
Yesterday, Governor Newsom certified the San Francisco Bay Ferry and City of Berkeley’s Water Transportation Pier Ferry Project for judicial streamlining under Senate Bill 149, removing a key regulatory hurdle that typically adds years to infrastructure timelines.
Removing 19,000 vehicle miles from Bay Area roads
The project replaces the long-closed Berkeley Municipal Pier with a new dual-purpose one supporting both public waterfront access and an all-electric ferry service.
Once operational, the route will connect Berkeley’s waterfront directly to the San Francisco and Larkspur ferry terminals, giving East Bay residents an alternative to driving across the Bay Bridge or taking BART.
At full buildout, planners project the route will take roughly 19,000 vehicle miles per day off Bay Area roads. For anyone who regularly sits in Bay Bridge traffic or packed BART carriages during peak hours, that kind of change could be a game changer.
The new Berkeley service is part of SF Bay Ferry’s broader REEF project, short for Redwood Environmental Electric Ferry, which aims to bring zero-emission ferry connections to the Bay. The plan pairs electric vessels with the charging infrastructure needed to run them, using Berkeley’s redesigned waterfront pier as a new transit hub.
No opening date has been announced yet, but the certification marks a massive step toward a new mode of clean transportation in the Bay.
Clearing the path for clean-energy projects
The certification doesn’t build the pier, but it does significantly shorten the window for legal challenges that have stalled similar projects in the past. California’s SB 149 framework creates a faster, more predictable process for resolving environmental litigation, without eliminating public participation or environmental review.
The Berkeley pier project is a partnership between the City of Berkeley and San Francisco Bay Ferry. It joins a growing list of California infrastructure projects granted streamlined status under the current framework, alongside water, energy, and housing developments across the state.