March 3, 2022 | A More Walkable Fountain Walk

Friends and neighbors:

Every day for more than a century, Berkeleyans have been traversing the two-block length of Fountain Walk between the south entrance to the Solano Tunnel and The Circle, home of the landmark Fountain at The Circle.

In the previous century, it provided a connection for commuters moving between local trolleys on The Circle and trains heading to Oakland and San Francisco. More recently, it’s become a pleasant shortcut that neighbors and hikers use daily.

The years, though, have taken a toll. The walk, which has been re-laid and repaired in the past, was showing its age, with large cracks and holes that made it somewhat treacherous.

This past week, thanks to the City of Berkeley’s Public Works department, repairs were done that should make Fountain Walk both safer and more esthetically pleasing to walk on.

A crew removed broken and crumbling concrete, cleaned out large cracks and divots, and poured new concrete to patch and eliminate virtually every tripping hazard along the walk.

Also, with spring around the corner, we have recently replaced some aging drip lines in the planting beds along the lower walk with more efficient lines that should save water and better irrigate the plants so lovingly cared for by a dedicated volunteer.

All in all, it should make for a very pleasant walk along Fountain Walk in 2022.

As always, you can learn more about FOFW and its stewardship of these local landmarks at our website, berkeleyfountain.org.

— Board of Directors, Friends of the Fountain and Walk