Bill Lockyer Continues to Lend Name to Popular Bay Area Bike Trail Bridge

*Ten years on, Bill Lockyer continues to be recognized for his contribution to the preservation of local scenic landscapes in the naming of a key Bay Trail bridge crossing.*

*SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2020 / *Thirty-five years ago, and then a state senator from San Leandro, California, former elected official and attorney Bill Lockyer envisioned a continuous cycle trail circling the San Francisco Bay Area. Two years later, in 1987, and much to his delight, the plan was approved. Fast-forward a further 20 years, and the popular trail had grown to cover some 300 miles. What's more, prominent local figure Lockyer was to be honored in the naming of a key bridge crossing, subsequently christened the Bill Lockyer Bay Trail Bridge.

Known as the San Francisco Bay Trail-a still-to-be-completed 500-mile loop around the famous Californian bay-the initiative was first envisioned by Bill Lockyer in the mid-1980s. As the scheme neared the 300-mile mark back in 2010, Lockyer's name was put forward as a suggestion to lend itself to a key bridge crossing on the route. It was then that, the same year, the Bill Lockyer Bay Trail Bridge came to exist.

Bill Lockyer's name was suggested as a way to honor the former elected official for his years of tireless contribution toward the preservation of the region's scenic landscapes. As the man who also first conceived the Bay Trail idea itself more than 20 years prior, Lockyer would finally see himself immortalized in the naming of the bridge crossing between San Leandro and Oakland International Airport. "The crossing was officially named in a dedication ceremony just before midday on May 7, 2010," recalls Bill Lockyer, looking back.

San Leandro is a large suburban town in Alameda County, located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. The town is sandwiched between Oakland to the northwest and Hayward to the southeast. Nearby Oakland International Airport, meanwhile, approximately 10 miles south of the Californian city's downtown district, is a major regional transport hub. Passenger flights from Oakland International depart to cities across the United States, Mexico, and the Azores, while cargo shipments routinely head out to destinations in both China and Japan.

Bill Lockyer was officially proposed as the namesake of the San Leandro to Oakland International Airport Bay Trail bridge crossing back in 2009 by the then-San Leandro mayor. "Bill Lockyer, in the opinion of everyone, including myself, is responsible for the Bay Trail," said San Leandro mayor at the time, the late Tony Santos. "He's worked on the idea for over 20 years," he went on, "and should be recognized for his work."

Former San Leandro politician and attorneyBill Lockyer attended the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1965. Receiving a teaching credential the following year from California State University, East Bay, Lockyer later went on to serve in the local legislature for the next two decades or more. In 1994, he was chosen by his peers to become the California State Senate's president pro tempore - the most powerful position of the upper legislative house.

Further to his early studies, later on in life,Bill Lockyer also graduated from the University of the Pacific with a degree in law. Now retired, lifelong bibliophile Lockyer maintains an extensive library of books at his home and has a particular passion for history, mysteries, and crime novels.

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