Fremont City Council Meeting: 04/14/26 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Public Works
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Presentations
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5690) DOC ID: 5690
Updated: 4/10/2026 11:23 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 PASEO PADRE PARKWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT - Receive Presentation on Street Design Alternatives and Community Outreach Process for Project to Improve Transportation Safety, Operations, and Multimodal Access Along Paseo Padre Parkway in the Areas of Covington Drive and Olive Avenue; and Provide Input to Staff on Preferred Direction.
Contact Persons:
Name: Noe Veloso Hans Larsen
Title: Assistant City Engineer Public Works Director
Div/Dept: Public Works Public Works
Phone: 510-494-4774 510-494-4722
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to obtain City Council direction on various street design options related to Paseo Padre Parkway in the areas of Covington Drive and Olive Avenue and other related matters. Six topics are presented in this report for Council consideration and direction: 1) at Covington Drive (traffic signal or roundabout); 2) at Olive Avenue (traffic signal, roundabout, or lane reduction plus visibility improvements: 3) reducing corridor from 4 lanes to two lanes; 4) relative priority of safety improvements on Paseo Padre Parkway versus other Citywide locations; and 5) future consideration of roundabouts at other Citywide locations.
BACKGROUND: In 2022, the Public Works Department conducted a community outreach process to consider options for improving traffic safety along Paseo Padre Parkway between Driscoll Road and Washington Boulevard. This corridor has a history of severe injury crashes, excessive speeding, and reckless driver behavior. In April 2022, the City Council approved a project scope that included adding a bike lane, enhanced pedestrian crossings with flashing beacons at the Dorne Place and the Mento Drive intersections, as well as intersection improvements at Covington Drive and at Olive Avenue. At the time, no funds had been budgeted for the various proposed improvements.
Improvements along Paseo Padre Parkway are being implemented through separate City projects and programs, as funding is made available through grants or City funds. The new bike lane was installed in 2023. The pedestrian crossing flashing beacons at Dorne Place and at Mento Drive will be constructed in 2026 as part of the Pedestrian Crossing Enhancement Project (funded by a state grant), a project the City Council approved a construction contract for in November 2025. The intersection improvements at Paseo Padre Parkway/Covington Drive and Paseo Padre Parkway/Olive Avenue are the remaining improvements planned.
In June 2024, the City Council awarded a professional services agreement to conduct an intersection alternatives analysis and to conduct further community outreach. As part of the professional services agreement, the design consultant assessed the feasibility and benefits of a roundabout design at the intersections of Paseo Padre Parkway/Covington Drive and Paseo Padre Parkway/Olive Avenue. Roundabouts have the advantages of enhancing traffic flow, preventing excessive traffic speeds, and reduced maintenance costs, Council Staff Report (ID # 5690) Meeting of April 14, 2026 Updated: 4/10/2026 11:23 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 as compared to a traditional traffic signal. Current national and state traffic engineering design practices are encouraging the use of roundabouts, and grant programs are available for their funding. Research has shown that a roundabout provides a 78% reduction in fatal and severe injury crashes when a traffic signal is replaced by a roundabout. Because a roundabout was determined to better address excessive corridor vehicle speeds and improve pedestrian crossing safety, the design consultant conducted community outreach to inform and seek feedback on the intersection alternatives.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Community Outreach
On November 13, 2025, a community meeting was conducted to share the results of the alternatives analysis and to initiate a community feedback and input period. A project website was used to provide information about design options and respond to frequently asked questions (see the LINKS section of this report). The website contains information and traffic simulation videos to describe the operations of traffic signal and roundabout design options. The results of the first of two community surveys showed greater support for the traffic signal alternative over a roundabout at both project intersections. During the community outreach process, a resident in the project neighborhood developed a third alternative for the Olive Avenue intersection, referred to as the “Lane Reduction with Visibility Improvements Option”, which the resident shared with neighbors and it gained neighborhood support.
On January 21, 2026, the intersection alternatives analysis, the results of the community survey, and the new alternative were presented to the Mobility Commission. After receiving public comment and further discussion, the Mobility Commission recommended the roundabout alternative for both the Covington Drive and Olive Avenue intersections.
Additionally, the Mobility Commission recommended that staff further study the feasibility of the “Lane Reduction with Visibility Improvements Option” and bring it forward to the community for consideration if found feasible.
In February 2026, a second community survey was released and the results from 167 survey participants revealed a top interest towards managing travel speeds in the corridor and a divided preference among the alternatives as noted below:
• Community Ranking of Top Concerns: 1) excessive speeding, 2) unsafe pedestrian crossings, 3) difficult access from side streets and driveways, 4) excessive cut-through traffic, 5) lack of safe or comfortable bike infrastructure • Preferred Design at Covington Drive: traffic signal (49%); roundabout (51%) • Preferred Design at Olive Avenue: lane reduction with visibility improvements (40%); traffic signal (36%); roundabout (24%)
Selection of Design Alternative at Covington Drive
The primary improvement interests at the Paseo Padre/ Covington intersection is to address the challenging access from Covington to Paseo Padre during the drop-off and pick-up periods at Chadbourne Elementary School, and to resolve a high number of traffic crashes at the “Covington curve”.
There are currently two alternatives to consider at the Covington Drive intersection: a traffic signal or roundabout. Residents are familiar with a traffic signal and the benefits it offers in Council Staff Report (ID # 5690) Meeting of April 14, 2026 Updated: 4/10/2026 11:23 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3 assigning right of way, creating separate phases for pedestrian crossing and maximizing vehicle throughput along the corridor. Roundabouts are becoming more commonplace nationally and locally. A roundabout would be most effective in reducing vehicle speeds along the corridor and reducing fatal and severe injury crashes when compared to a traffic signal. A roundabout is also more efficient at maintaining traffic flow along the corridor while providing opportunities for the side street access.
Selection of Design Alternative at Olive Avenue
The primary intersection improvement interest is to enhance visibility at the Paseo Padre Parkway curve near Olive Avenue. At the Olive Avenue intersection, in addition to a traffic signal or roundabout, there is a third alternative to consider – a lane reduction with visibility improvements. This option proposes to remove all sight visibility restrictions, including trees and on-street parking areas, and reduce the number of lanes from four to two approaching the intersection. This option would potentially reduce speeds by having vehicles merge into one lane at the intersection and would improve pedestrian safety by reducing the crossing distances and the addition of a crosswalk flashing beacon. The third alternative has the added benefit of being implementable in a faster timeframe and a reduced cost when compared to a traffic signal or roundabout. The lane reduction at Olive could also be implemented as a “quick-build” demonstration project to test the effectiveness using temporary paint, bollards, and/or barricades.
Consideration of Reducing Paseo Padre Parkway from 4 to 2 Lanes The City Council can also consider reducing the number of vehicle lanes along the Paseo Padre Parkway corridor from four to two lanes. Pre-Covid, the Paseo Padre Parkway corridor was typically carrying approximately 13,000 vehicles per day and experienced congestion during the peak morning and evening commute hours. Since the completion of the various I-680 freeway improvements, the traffic volumes on Paseo Padre Parkway have stabilized to approximately 10,000 over the last few years. The freeway cut-through traffic that created congestion issues in the neighborhood have been largely addressed. Two vehicle lane roadways have the capacity of managing traffic volumes up to 20,000. The lane reduction has the value of managing traffic speed in the corridor by constraining vehicles to a single lane and to not enable speeding traffic to weave between lanes.
Consideration of Relative Priority of Safety Improvements on Paseo Padre Parkway Versus Other City Locations
The choice on what type and cost of investments to make along Paseo Padre Parkway should take into account other unfunded traffic safety improvements planned throughout the City. Examples include proposed projects at Scott Creek/ Zinfandel (at Hetch Hetchy Trail Crossing); Peralta/ Dusterberry (next to Dusterberry Neighborhood Park); and Paseo Padre/ Commerce (at Coyote Hills Regional Park). The current budget available for Paseo Padre Parkway improvements is $2 million. The estimated costs for the Paseo Padre Parkway design alternatives being considered are:
- $2.5 million for a roundabout (at Covington or Olive) - $1.5 million for a traffic signal (at Covington or Olive) - $0.5 million for the Olive lane reduction with visibility improvements, plus a pedestrian flashing beacon
Consideration of Roundabouts at Other City Locations
Council Staff Report (ID # 5690) Meeting of April 14, 2026 Updated: 4/10/2026 11:23 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 4 The community outreach process for the Paseo Padre Parkway project has raised both positive support and concerns about the implementation of roundabouts in Fremont. It is noted that roundabout designs are being considered at the following locations: Mission/ Pine (at southern gateway to Mission San Jose business district and access to Ohlone College); Peralta/ Mowry (large intersection with skewed angles); Peralta/ Dusterberry (complex intersection adjacent to Dusterberry neighborhood park). The project webpage contains more information on the benefits of roundabouts and example locations in the Bay Area.
Staff Recommendation
The decision on a preferred design direction for a set of improvements along Paseo Padre Parkway is complex, due to the various objectives, design alternatives, costs, and diverse community viewpoints. Staff’s recommendation on the “best value” solution is as follows:
- Traffic signal at Covington ($1.5 million)
- Lane reduction with visibility improvement, plus a pedestrian flashing beacon at Olive ($0.5 million)
- Reduce lanes from four to two lanes in corridor for speed management, improved bikeway, and separation of moving vehicles from parked cars and driveway access (no added cost due to planned pavement maintenance project)
FISCAL IMPACT: Cost information regarding various design options is discussed in report.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The recommended actions to provide planning guidance for transportation improvements along Paseo Padre Parkway corridor does not require environment review within the meaning of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) as the actions are not considered a project and it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the actions will have a significant effect on the environment. Appropriate environmental review will be prepared for any proposed project during the design phase and prior to any project construction.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Paseo Padre Parkway Improvement Project Presentation
RECOMMENDATION: Take the following actions related to the Paseo Padre Parkway Improvement Project in the areas of Covington Drive and Olive Avenue:
1. Receive presentation on street design alternatives and community outreach process.
2. Provide direction on preferred design at Covington Drive intersection (traffic signal or roundabout).
3. Provide direction on preferred design at Olive Avenue intersection (traffic signal, roundabout, or lane reduction with visibility improvement and flashing beacon at crosswalk).
4. Provide direction on number of through lanes along Paseo Padre Parkway corridor (4 lanes or 2 lanes with buffered bike lane).
5. Provide input on relative priority of funding investments for improvements along Paseo Padre Parkway compared to other Citywide transportation improvement needs.
6. Provide input on consideration of roundabouts for other City locations.