California Governor Gavin Newsom certified the San Francisco Bay Ferry and City of Berkeley's Water Transportation Pier Ferry Project for expedited judicial approval under Senate Bill 149, clearing a faster path for a new zero-emission ferry connecting Berkeley to San Francisco and Larkspur.
The certification streamlines the legal approval process and reduces opportunities for lengthy judicial challenges, according to the Governor's office. The tool was included in California's infrastructure package to accelerate critical clean-energy, water, housing and transportation projects.
The project will replace the long-shuttered Berkeley Municipal Pier with a dual-purpose pier supporting public recreation and all-electric ferry service. At full buildout, the all-electric ferry is projected to remove roughly 19,000 vehicle miles per day from Bay Area roads.
Other major infrastructure and clean-energy projects have been certified for expedited approval under the same framework, including the Cornucopia Hybrid Project in Fresno County, the Easley Renewable Energy Project in Riverside County, the Sites Reservoir Project and the Fourth & Central housing project in downtown Los Angeles.