Question: Will this project result in a quiet zone?
Answer: This project includes installing railroad safety infrastructure that could qualify the area to be designated as a quiet zone. The City doesn’t have the authority to establish a quiet zone (quiet zones are designated by the Federal Rail Administration), however, the project team will continue to pursue a quiet zone and coordinate with stakeholders, including Union Pacific Railroad.
Question: How is this project funded? Can the funding be spent on other pressing issues in Oakland?
Answer: The project is funded by state, regional, and potentially federal funds (the City is awaiting the outcome of an outstanding federal grant application). The majority of the project funding comes from California Assembly Bill 128, which specified the purpose of these funds—to implement improvements that facilitate enhanced freight and passenger access and to promote the efficient and safe movement of goods and people. The existing and potential future grant funds must be spent on this project and cannot be spent on other projects or purposes. The funding must also be spent on capital improvements and cannot be spent on maintenance and operations. This project is not funded by the City of Oakland’s general fund.
Question: If Embarcadero West becomes a one-way street between Clay Street and Webster Street in the westbound direction, how will this affect traffic?
Answer: No significant traffic impact is anticipated due to the proposed project. The design was evaluated in the Howard Terminal Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which showed that significant traffic impacts were not expected, even when accounting for 3,500 new housing units and over 1 million square feet of new commercial space in the Howard Terminal Development anticipated at that time. While this initial vehicle data was collected prior to the pandemic, these findings have been supported with additional vehicle data collected in 2024.
Additionally, the project proposes strategies to help drivers navigate and access their destinations safely, including:
- Updating directional signage and coordinating with mobile app companies to update wayfinding to direct people to destinations and parking.
- Designating loading spaces along the shared street so that vehicles can pull over to load/unload or pickup/drop off passengers without blocking traffic.
Question: How will fire truck and emergency vehicle access be maintained?
Answer: The proposed pedestrian path and bike lanes will be designed so that in an emergency, a fire truck or emergency vehicle can drive eastbound on Embarcadero West. The proposed shared street in the westbound direction is designed to accommodate the widths needed for fire trucks and emergency vehicles to turn at all intersections.
Question: Why are bike lanes a part of this project?
Answer: This project provides an opportunity to provide a safe and comfortable bike route between other upcoming protected bike lane projects in West Oakland, Downtown Oakland, and the Jack London District, which creates a more complete and connected bike network.
Question: How will the bike lanes be separated from the pedestrian path?
Answer: The project team is continuing to explore safe and accessible ways to define space for bicyclists and pedestrians. While vertical separation won’t be possible, different colored and textured surfaces help people with vision disabilities navigate the space. Signage and markings will communicate to bicyclists that they must yield to pedestrians and safely share the space. Share your ideas with the project team.
Question: Will the project include public art?
Answer: The project team is gathering feedback on where people would like to see artistic elements included in the project. Ongoing coordination with the City of Oakland Cultural Affairs and Public Art staff will help us understand how to best incorporate elements in terms of timing and funding.
Question: If the overweight truck corridor is redeveloped, will this bring more truck traffic to the area?
Answer: The City of Oakland and the Port of Oakland jointly manage the Heavy Container Permit Program. Overweight trucks are required to apply for permits, and the Oakland Police Department manages the permitting process. The trucks must only travel on the city streets designated for overweight truck travel. They must also travel at lower speeds. The overweight corridor is expected to make overweight truck travel more efficient and reduce traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) coming specifically from heavy container trucks traveling in residential neighborhoods in West Oakland. Since 2021, the Adeline Bridge was deemed structurally insufficient for overweight trucks. As a result, those trucks have been using 7th Street in West Oakland to travel to/from the Port of Oakland. The overweight corridor will allow overweight trucks to access the Port entrance adjacent to the Adeline Bridge, without traveling on 7th Street. The overweight corridor is and will continue to be a private road accessible only for overweight trucks and emergency vehicles.
Question: How will on-street parking be affected by this project?
Answer: A full project-wide parking evaluation is forthcoming. All passenger drop-off areas and accessible van access will be maintained. Some on-street parking is expected to be removed to provide daylighting at intersections and near driveways for traffic safety, and due to added bike facilities. The project includes a comprehensive wayfinding plan, which will include wayfinding signage to direct drivers to the many nearby public parking structures.
Question: How will driveways and loading access be affected by this project?
Answer: Currently, no driveways are proposed to be closed. The project team will continue to conduct outreach to understand loading needs along the corridor and will work with businesses to address any potential impacts. The full loading access and driveway evaluation is forthcoming. The project will accommodate loading dock access along Embarcadero West, including on the south (water) side where the pedestrian path and protected bike lanes are proposed.
Question: How is this project incorporating sea-level rise elements?
Answer: Sea-level rise and its effect on current and planned infrastructure projects is a larger regional consideration with multiple stakeholders. In 2014, Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) published Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment.
Question: Can the railroad be put underground instead of constructing this project?
Answer: Lowering the railroad tracks to operate below grade or underground would be a costly, much longer-term endeavor with several design challenges. Some of these challenges and considerations include the proximity to Union Pacific Railroad’s railyard and the grade of trains when switching tracks in and around the yard, the requirement that non-electric locomotives must have an open trench, sea level rise, groundwater intrusion, and the presence of potential hazardous materials and their disposal.