- City:
- Oakland, CA
- Site Type:
- Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels, Infrastructure and Utilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
- Started:
- 1937
- Completed:
- 1938
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- Yes
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
In 1937-38, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved and paved the old dirt Redwood Canyon Road as part of the New Deal’s contribution to the newly-created East Bay Regional Parks (EBRPD). Today, it is known simply as Redwood Road.
The road descends from Skyline Boulevard (also built by the WPA) to the entrance of Redwood Regional Park in the canyon below. Skyline, in turn, runs north to link up with Sibley, Temescal and Tilden Parks, the rest of the original four parks in the EBRPD system.
Redwood Road crosses the South Fork of Redwood Creek several times and several of the old culverts/bridges remain in place. On the short entrance road into Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, there is a stone bridge that is probably WPA work (although the CCC also worked in that park).
The road continues south beyond the park entrance to follow the eastern border of Anthony Chabot Regional Park, another early addition to the EBRPD system. The latter stretch was also paved by the WPA and the work continued through 1938 (see the photos of WPA markers). In one place, the road is held up by a 180-foot long stone retaining wall along the creek.
Redwood Canyon road has been repaved, but it still follows the sinuous lines of the old road developed by the New Deal..
Source notes
WPA record cards in the National Archives and Records Administration files
WPA stone markers
Site originally submitted by Gray Brechin on March 11, 2019.
Additional contributions by Richard Walker, Randall Arnold.
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