A Wetland Waiting to Happen by Presidio Parkway

Don't be alarmed if the ground starts to feel a little mushy next time you're at the Golden Gate Bridge.

As part of the massive Doyle Drive construction project, Caltrans is tearing down the 80-year-old freeway approach to the bridge. In its place, a new streamlined ramp and tunnel will carry vehicles from the North Bay to the Marina. A crucial part of the project is the reconstruction of wetlands by Quartermaster Reach.

Quartermaster Reach is a little-known area near Crissy Marsh. Once home to Ohlone settlements, and later a firing range for soldiers, the area today is comprised mostly of abandoned parking lots. But The Presidio Trust has proposed an ambitious plan to restore a creek through the area. As part of that restoration, they may convert the asphalt into wetlands.

That would bring the Presidio much closer to having an uninterrupted wildlife corridor all the way to the bay. Currently, the El Polin spring only pops above ground for a few short segments, spending most of its time underground in culverts.

It would also establish a continuous pedestrian and bike path from the playgrounds and sports fields at the southern end of the park to the bay.

Construction on the project could start in just a few weeks, although completion will have to wait until 2013, when the new Presidio Parkway is finally finished.