Title
Workshop to Discuss Alameda’s Infrastructure and Facility Needs Regarding Streets and Traffic Safety. (City Manager 10021030)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda’s (City) aging and deteriorating infrastructure, particularly City streets and traffic safety systems, requires significant investment. Addressing these deferred maintenance and new infrastructure needs requires hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance and new infrastructure needs. This workshop is the first in a series of four to update the City Council and the public on the City’s infrastructure and facilities needs and discuss strategies to address these needs and promote greater local financial control in response to federal funding uncertainties. This report provides an overview of the City’s current street conditions, the projects needed to address traffic safety for all transportation options, and plans for community engagement to explore future funding options.
BACKGROUND
The City’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, developed with extensive community input, helps guide the City’s workplan over the next several years and starts with a shared vision for Alameda’s future:
Alameda is an inclusive and connected community where everyone is welcome and supported with robust and sustainable City services. Residents and visitors enjoy access to safe, architecturally varied neighborhoods, vibrant commercial centers, and beautiful outdoor spaces. We prioritize housing options for all, and ensure residents’ access to safe, climate-friendly, transportation options. The City is resilient to climate change and is prepared for natural disasters. Alameda government is fiscally responsible, invested in staff, transparent in decision-making, and committed to equity.
To achieve this vision, the City Council identified the following strategic priorities:
• Invest in Transportation, Infrastructure, Economic Opportunities, and Historic Resources
• Build Resilience to Climate Change and Water Level Rise
• Enhance Community Safety and Services
• House All Alamedans and End Homelessness
• Practice Fiscally Responsible, Equitable, and Inclusive Governance
In addition to the City providing essential operational services, the City’s Strategic Plan identifies strategic projects that are the specific actions the City needs to take to achieve each strategic priority and work toward realizing the vision.
Deferred Maintenance Needs and Projects to Prepare for the Future
For many years, the City has had a backlog of maintenance needs and facility upgrades needed to meet current standards and future projected needs. Over the next four months, these needs will be discussed through a series of four public City Council workshops that are focused on the following subjects:
• Streets and Traffic Safety
• City Facilities and Public Safety
• Libraries and Recreation and Parks
• Flood Protection, Sea Level and Ground Water Rise, and Disaster Preparedness
Resident Survey
In a June 2024 survey, 64% of Alameda voters expressed a need for additional infrastructure funding, an increase from 54% in 2023. Importantly, more than 2/3 of responders included the following City projects as extremely or very important:
• Preparing for earthquakes and flooding
• Repairing potholes and repaving streets to prevent deterioration
• Addressing sea level rise and keeping pollution from the Bay
• Repairing and upgrading the City’s infrastructure
• Providing safe routes to school and installing infrastructure that improves traffic flow and reduces congestion
DISCUSSION
This report focuses on the aging and deteriorating infrastructure of our Streets and Traffic Safety needs, including:
• 128 miles of publicly maintained streets
• 89 signalized intersections, many nearing the end of their useful life
• 25 million square feet of pavement
• 7000+ streetlights
• 25,000+ street and park trees
• 260 miles of sidewalks
• 18 miles of multi-use trails, many substandard and deteriorating
• 59 miles of existing bikeways
Deferred Maintenance and New Infrastructure
The City’s deferred maintenance backlog is extensive. Current funding is insufficient to maintain the status quo and is not enough to address new unfunded infrastructure needs identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan, Annual Transportation Work Plan, Transportation Choices Plan, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan, including:
• A goal to eliminate all fatal and severe injury crashes on City streets;
• Active transportation and climate plans call for reducing emissions by transforming City streets into safe streets for all, including 15 miles of new multi-use trails, 50+ new miles of bikeways, and more street trees; and
• Unfunded projects in the newly adopted Accessibility Transition Plan;
The City’s Strategic Plan also includes fully or partially unfunded projects to address ongoing street and traffic safety needs, including:
• Implement Vision Zero Rapid Response - After Fatal Crashes Program;
• Upgrade traffic signal system technology for reliability and safety, reducing public safety response times;
• Secure funding and detailed design for the Lincoln/Marshal/Pacific Corridor Project;
• Convert Slow Streets to Neighborhood Greenways;
• Plan, design, and construct a backbone low-stress bicycle network, pedestrian safety, and traffic-calming projects throughout the City;
• Design and construct Phase 2 of Stargell Avenue bicycle and pedestrian improvements;
• Implement Grand Street improvements from Encinal to Clement;
• Implement Safe Routes to School physical improvements;
• Implement ADA plan for City programs, facilities, parks, streets, and sidewalks; and
• Continue implementing intersection daylighting on high injury corridors and as part of the street paving program.
Current Street Conditions
Despite the City’s ongoing paving efforts, the City’s Pavement Condition Index (PCI) has steadily declined. The 2024 Alameda County Transportation Commission (CTC) Performance Report, published in April 2025, rated Alameda’s pavement a 66, or “fair,” placing Alameda below the County average, and behind the neighboring cities of Union City, Pleasanton, Newark, Livermore, Hayward, Fremont, Emeryville, and Dublin. The decline in the City’s PCI demonstrates that the current funding level is not sufficient to maintain existing infrastructure to prevent and fix potholes, maintain more expensive complete streets infrastructure or fund new street projects.
Unfunded Street and Traffic Safety Projects
City staff identified the following summary of unfunded projects that would significantly improve the conditions of City streets and traffic safety (all costs are estimates):
Community Update and Next Steps
The City is committed to engaging the community about the City’s infrastructure and facilities needs and exploring potential funding solutions. The timeline below details outreach workplan from August 2025 to April 2026. Goals include addressing the City’s needs before they become more expensive, making Alamedans safer by reducing crashes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from greener and more walkable and bikeable streets, and protecting the City from the whims of the federal government.
August-December 2025
Stronger Together Webpage: The City website, www.alamedaca.gov/strongertogether <http://www.alamedaca.gov/strongertogether>, includes information about the City’s infrastructure needs and the series of four City Council workshops, and the ability to share feedback directly with staff that will be compiled and shared with the City Council.
Social Media and Nextdoor Posts: In addition to regular updates about City pavement and transportation projects, the City is sharing additional information about the City’s significant infrastructure needs culminating in each of the four Council work sessions.
City Council Public Workshops: The following City Council workshops are scheduled:
• Streets, Traffic Safety: Sept 2
• City Facilities, Public Safety: Oct 7
• Libraries, Recreation and Parks: Nov 4
• Flood Protection, Sea Level and Ground Water Rise, Disaster Preparedness: Dec 2
Additionally, the City is convening a Fiscal Sustainability Workshop as part of the October 21 City Council agenda to provide a report on the City’s budget, explore options for increasing revenues and reducing expenditures, and adopt a new budget policy.
Following the fall engagement efforts, the City will work with FM3 Research to draft a Statistically Significant Community Poll to determine if there has been a shift in priorities over the last year and identify the community’s most pressing needs.
January-April 2026
Staff will conduct in-person and online community engagement, using online surveys, social media posts, email bulletins, and direct mail to gather more detailed resident input on project proposals. Based on this comprehensive outreach and the feedback received, City Council will be better positioned to determine whether 2026 is the right time to proceed with a revenue measure to address these pressing needs.
ALTERNATIVES
• Discuss Alameda’s infrastructure and facility needs regarding streets and traffic safety
• Ask staff to return with more information at a future date
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact to the City from discussing Alameda’s infrastructure and facility needs regarding streets and safety. However, the projects listed and projects included in City plans may require financial contributions from the City that would be subject to future City Council approval.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The City of Alameda’s Strategic Plan includes strategic priorities and projects that would improve Alameda’s infrastructure and facility needs regarding streets and traffic safety.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action does not constitute a “project” as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and therefore no further CEQA analysis is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Discuss Alameda’s infrastructure and facility needs regarding streets and traffic safety.
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Henry, Communications and Legislative Affairs Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Ross McCarthy, Finance Director