Located along Oakland’s waterfront at the foot of the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline provides spectacular vistas of the San Francisco Bay and city skylines. This 45-acre regional shoreline is named in honor of Judge John Sutter, a former East Bay Regional Park District Director and visionary who in 1967 proposed a park at this site for public recreation and access. It is planned to develop this shoreline further to wrap around to the norther side for an integrated Gateway Park on this westernmost spit of Oakland reaching into the bay.
This park is rich in the transportation history of the East Bay. The historic electric railway Key System operated on a train trestle between 1903 and 1939, carrying passengers to a ferry terminal far out in the Bay to cross over to San Francisco. Later, the ferries were replaced by streetcars that ran across the lower deck of the bridge until 1960. A substation at the site provided electrical power to the trains, which carried 36.4 million passengers in 1945. The historic Bridge Yard Building, previously known as the Interurban Electric Railway Bridge Yard Shop Building, was a maintenance facility for the trains. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently restored this 1930s-era building and leased it to the Park District in 2017 for incorporation into the shoreline park.
In 1941, the Oakland Army Base was established at the site as a transportation port and distribution terminal for the Department of the Army. For almost 60 years, the base served as a crucial point of embarkation for the entry and return of supplies, equipment, and thousands of soldiers to World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The base was decommissioned and closed in 1999.
Bridge Yard Building – This 24,000-square-foot building will serve as an activity hub and venue for events and conferences, including public events. The parking area provides direct and easy access to the pedestrian/bike path to the Bay Bridge.
Viewing Platform – Caltrans is building an observation platform using existing foundations from the old Bay Bridge. The platform will provide public waterfront access with unique perspectives of the Bay and the bridge, as well as Port of Oakland shipping and industrial activities.
Alexander Zuckermann Bay Bridge Trail – This popular trail opened to pedestrians and cyclists in October 2016 and was named to honor the late East Bay Bicycle Coalition founder and Bay Bridge Trail advocate. A plaque bearing his name is located on the trail which extends over four miles from Emeryville to Yerba Buena Island.
Radio Beach – This 400-foot stretch of narrow sandy beach provides public access on the north side of the park. The beach is ideal for walking, picnicking, bird watching, fishing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, and kayak launching.