Title
Receive an Update on Construction Impacts from the Oakland Alameda Access Project (Discussion)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Led by the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), the Oakland Alameda Access Project (OAAP) is a $152 million regional project to improve connectivity between Interstate 880 (I-880), Interstate 980 (I-980), and the cities of Oakland and Alameda. The OAAP will improve freeway access for Alamedans and increase safety and equity for people in Oakland Chinatown. The Alameda CTC, City of Oakland, and the City of Alameda (City) have collaborated on this project, in some form, for over twenty years. It is an exciting milestone that the project is now close to its construction phase, and City staff are very appreciative of all the work leading up to this moment.
A major project like this cannot be constructed without street closures necessitating detours, and temporary Webster and Posey Tube closures have always been expected. That said, recent construction plans estimate two years of continuous single-lane closures in the Posey Tube and eight months in the Webster Tube, surpassing expected intermittent, off-peak tube closures. City staff have raised substantial concerns with Alameda CTC about the delays that long-term, continuous lane closures could cause for bus riders and auto travelers, impacting Alameda residents, visitors, employees, and business owners.
City staff are proactively seeking solutions to minimize and mitigate Tube closures and preparing to support Caltrans with clear and extensive community-wide communication plans related to construction impacts. The City has contracted with transportation engineering and communications firms to review OAAP construction documents to seek technically sound recommendations for the project to be constructed with temporary, off-peak Tube closures and to support robust communications planning.
BACKGROUND
The OAAP is an important project that will facilitate a more efficient connection for vehicles to and from I-880; reduce traffic and safety impacts in Oakland Chinatown, an equity priority community; and add a new, narrow bicycle/pedestrian pathway in the Webster Tube. Currently, the Webster and Posey Tubes are the only vehicular connection between the west side of Alameda and downtown Oakland. Travelers need to use circuitous routes through Oakland neighborhoods to connect to Interstate 880 (I-880). OAAP proposes a new, dedicated onramp (the “horseshoe”) to connect the Posey Tube to I-880, improving pedestrian safety and reducing freeway-bound traffic on local roads in these equity priority Oakland communities.
This project also includes improvements to the Jackson Street onramp and offramp, Sixth Street, Webster Tube entrance from 5th & Broadway, adjacent streets in Alameda and Oakland, a new 4-foot pathway for people walking and biking in the Webster Tube, plus the elimination of the Broadway off-ramp. Construction plans are currently being finalized and the project is expected to begin construction by mid-2025 and be completed in 2028.
Exhibit 1, an Alameda CTC presentation from February 2024, provides an overview of the project design and schedule, though the construction schedule and staging information is somewhat out of date.
For over 20 years, the City of Alameda has engaged with Alameda CTC and the City of Oakland to develop the project, and has been involved with project scoping, planning, environmental, and design phases. The City of Alameda’s Transportation Commission considered this project in October 2020, and the City Council did so in November 2020 meeting. Exhibit 2 is the Mayor’s letter sent to Alameda CTC supporting the project overall. The City submitted comments on the draft Environmental Document in December 2020.
Alameda CTC’s project web page has further information:
<https://www.alamedactc.org/programs-projects/highway-improvement/oakland-alameda-access-project>
DISCUSSION
The Alameda CTC is finalizing construction plans in its Plans, Specifications, and Estimates package (PS&E), with a deadline to present a final construction bid package to the California Transportation Commission by December in order to receive $70 million in funding. These documents specify construction staging expectations, but the detailed timeline will only be finalized, likely in early 2025, after a construction firm is under contract.
The currently proposed construction impacts anticipated in the PS&E would be substantial for Alameda. While earlier documents spoke of only temporary and nighttime closures in the Webster and Posey Tubes, the Alameda CTC now expects the following:
• Continuous Single-Lane Tube Closures
o Posey Tube: two-year continuous single lane closure
o Webster Tube: 8-month continuous single lane closure
o The two closures overlap by 5 months.
• Intermittent Full Tube Closures
o Posey Tube: 23 nighttime closures and 8 full weekend closures spread over two years
o Webster Tube: 10 nighttime closures spread over six months (no full weekend closures)
City staff have repeatedly raised significant concerns with the Alameda CTC about the magnitude of the continuous single lane closures and have discussed this with AC Transit and City of Oakland staff as well. Alameda is an island city with limited ingress and egress points. Such a lengthy closure could cause major, ongoing issues:
• Slow down AC Transit buses serving Alameda. Congestion in the Tubes, and traffic detouring, could slow all buses serving Alameda, but the buses that run through the Tubes - including Alameda’s 51A trunk line - would be most impacted. Slowing buses without additional buses reduces headways, causing bus riders to endure longer waits in addition to longer rides.
• Cause major congestion. Congestion in the Tubes would also slow down commuters and visitors traveling into and out of Alameda.
• Impact West End businesses. There are 380+ businesses in West Alameda. Most weekend visitors to West Alameda businesses come from outside of Alameda: over 75% for Spirits Alley, 67% for Alameda Landing, and 60% for WABA.
City staff are taking the following significant steps to address this issue:
• Seek solutions to minimize Tube closures. The City has recently contracted with the engineering consulting firm HNTB to provide detailed comments on Alameda CTC’s second 100% PS&E package, including the Transportation Management Plan, which are due August 30. HNTB will conduct a close review of the OAAP’s lane closure analysis and construction staging plans, and analyze whether temporary nighttime/weekend lane closures could be sufficient to construct the project. The City will submit a formal letter to Alameda CTC that includes findings from this analysis.
• Support public communication. Communicating with Alameda residents, business owners, employees, and visitors will be crucial regardless of the final construction plans. Given the magnitude of the project, it is important that communication begin well in advance of the actual construction. City staff is contracting with HDR to support Alameda’s role in communications and to help review the OAAP communications plan when available (Caltrans will lead communications and Alameda CTC is developing early-engagement fact sheets). City staff and consultants will help coordinate workshops and information dissemination for Alameda business owners and community members.
Once constructed, the OAAP will benefit people in Alameda and Oakland and improve equity for our Oakland Chinatown neighbors. It has been planned for many years and merits implementation. City staff are working towards minimizing project construction impacts and ensure our community is informed and prepared for them.
This item is slated for the City of Alameda/AC Transit Interagency Liaison Committee (September 5) and will be brought to the City Council (date TBD).
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The City is expending a combination of funds from Measure BB Multimodal, City Manager’s Office, and Base Reuse and Economic Development to cover contracts with HNTB (up to $70,000 for engineering analysis) and HDR ($25,000 for communications support).
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
Strategic Plan: Invest in Alameda’s Transportation, Infrastructure & Economy
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Receiving an update from staff is not a “project” requiring environmental review under CEQA. OOAP has gone through its own environmental review process.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive an update on construction impacts from the Oakland Alameda Access Project.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Foster, Acting Transportation Planning Manager
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Exhibits:
1. Alameda CTC Oakland Alameda Access Project presentation slides
2. OAAP Support Letter from the Mayor on behalf of City Council, 11/19/2020