Fremont City Council Meeting: 10/14/25 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Public Works
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Public Projects
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5546) DOC ID: 5546
Updated: 10/9/2025 9:39 AM by Dina Lewis Page 1
DECOTO ROAD COMPLETE STREETS PROJECT - Adoption of a Resolution of Local Support Authorizing the Filing of a Project Funding Application for the 2026 State Transportation Improvement Program for the Decoto Road Complete Streets Project (PWC9025); and Make Findings of CEQA Exemption.
Contact Persons:
Name: Jeanne Suyeishi Hans Larsen
Title: Principal Civil Engineer Public Works Director
Div/Dept: Public Works Public Works
Phone: 510-494-4728 510-494-4722
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to facilitate construction funding for the Decoto Road Complete Streets Project from the State Transportation Improvement Program.
BACKGROUND: The State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is a multi-year capital improvement program administered by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for transportation projects on and off the State Highway System. The STIP program is generally funded with revenues from the State Highway Account and other State and federal funding sources and is updated every two years. At the beginning of each update cycle, the CTC releases a STIP Fund Estimate for the new program cycle, and the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) works with the various cities and the County to identify projects that can utilize the available STIP programming capacity while meeting the overall STIP schedule and requirements. ACTC ultimately approves a project list to be submitted to the CTC for final adoption through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).
The CTC released the 2026 STIP Initial Request for Information in August 2025, from which ACTC determined that there are $10 million available for new project programming within Alameda County. The call for project applications was released by ACTC to various cities and the County and established that each agency may submit no more than one candidate project with a maximum request of $4 million, and ACTC will review and approve a final list of projects to forward to MTC in October 2025. The 2026 STIP funds will not be available for project use until Fiscal Years 2030 and 2031.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: In response to the 2026 STIP call for projects, staff submitted a project proposal to ACTC for the construction phase of the Decoto Road Complete Streets Project. The project is currently in the planning phase, with the project’s environmental clearance phase scheduled for 2028 and the design phase scheduled for 2029. The project’s construction phase is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2030. The project schedule fits well with the 2026 STIP funding schedule, and the project is considered a regional priority for the City, ACTC, and AC Transit.
The Decoto Road Complete Streets Project aims to improve road user safety, multimodal mobility, and transit reliability (for AC Transit, the Dumbarton Express, and Union City Transit) along Decoto Road between the I-880 interchange and the Alameda Creek Trail.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5546) Meeting of October 14, 2025 Updated: 10/9/2025 9:39 AM by Dina Lewis Page 2
The project is part of a package of three projects that will ultimately provide a continuous active transportation path and transit priority improvements along the Dumbarton Corridor, which is an identified regionally significant commute and active transportation corridor by MTC and Alameda CTC. Key project elements include construction of separated walking and biking facilities, intersection safety improvements, traffic signal upgrades, transit priority improvements, pavement rehabilitation, street lighting improvements, storm drain improvements, and landscaping.
Implementing a walking and bicycling path suitable for all ages and abilities along Decoto Road is among the top priorities identified in Fremont’s new Active Transportation Plan, the Alameda County Countywide Active Transportation Plan, and the Bay Area Active Transportation Plan, and the proposed project is a critical component of the future buildout of the regional commute and active transportation network. In conjunction with the City's I-880/Decoto Interchange Project, the Decoto Road Complete Street project will also provide a vital active transportation connection for south Alameda County residents to the Bay Trail network and the path on Dumbarton Bridge, which is the only active transportation connection between the East Bay and the San Francisco Peninsula. In addition to Dumbarton Express, the Decoto Corridor is also used by numerous regional, local, and employer buses that experience traffic congestion delays. Providing transit priority improvements along this vital transbay transit corridor is a priority for all regional transit plans and is in compliance with the new Bay Area Transit Priority Policy under development by MTC.
FISCAL IMPACT: The recommended action of adopting the attached Resolution of Local Support for the City’s project application is a required first step in securing construction funding for the Decoto Road Complete Streets project, estimated to have a cost of $15 million. Staff is seeking a maximum allowable request of $4 million of STIP funding for the project. If approved, these funds will be used to leverage other funding for the project from County, regional, State, and federal funding sources.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The recommended action related to administrative and project funding activities is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 in that it is not a project which has the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Consistent with CEQA requirements, appropriate environmental review will be prepared for the Decoto Road Complete Streets project.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Draft Resolution of Local Support – 2026 STIP Program
RECOMMENDATION: Approval of the following actions related to the Decoto Road Complete Streets Project (PWC9025):
1. Adopt a Resolution of Local Support for the filing of a project application for the Decoto Road Complete Streets Project for the 2026 STIP program.
2. Find that the actions are exempt from environmental review as a separate and independent base for CEQA compliance, under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15378 (administrative and funding activities are not a “project” under CEQA).