DATE: October 23, 2024
TO: Council Infrastructure & Airport Committee
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: East Bay Greenway Multimodal Project – Status Update
RECOMMENDATION
That the Council Infrastructure & Airport Committee (CIAC) provides feedback on the status, draft alignment, and types of bicycle routes for the East Bay Greenway Multimodal (EBGWMM)-Hayward Segment Project.
SUMMARY
The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) is the project sponsor and implementing agency for the EBGWMM along the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) alignment from Lake Merritt station in Oakland to South Hayward BART station. This staff report discusses the EBGWMM-Hayward Segment, a near-term project within the jurisdiction of the City of Hayward (City). Alameda CTC is coordinating with the City and other project stakeholders such as AC Transit, BART, and various community groups to develop the project.
The goals of the EBGWMM-Hayward Segment project are to:
Create a continuous north/south bike facility connecting the Hayward and South Hayward BART stations.
Provide safe, high-quality bicycle facilities suitable for people of all ages and abilities.
Improve safety by physically separating bicyclists from high-speed vehicular traffic to the extent feasible.
Improve access to regional transit, schools, Downtown areas, and major activity centers.
Improve multimodal access to BART.
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The EBGWMM-Hayward Segment project is currently in conceptual design phase. The project team has conducted robust public outreach, coordinated with a City-sponsored Active Transportation Working Group, and developed a draft alignment and recommended facility types for each segment of the overall project. The City and Alameda CTC are seeking feedback on the project’s upcoming conceptual design phase.
BACKGROUND
The East Bay Greenway is envisioned as a 37-mile regional trail connecting northern and southern Alameda County cities. The project originated with a non-profit group, Urban Ecology, which envisioned a trail in the BART/Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) Oakland Subdivision corridor from Oakland to Hayward. Upon passage of 2014 Alameda County Measure BB, the East Bay Greenway was included as one of three major trails in the Transportation Expenditure Plan.
During project development, several key risks were identified related to costs for land acquisition, timing of negotiations, removal of likely hazardous material, and ownership. In December 2021, due to the complexity and potential timeframe of the original concept, the Alameda CTC Commission voted to identify a new alignment for the East Bay Greenway Project that can be delivered in the near-term, 3-5 years. Improvements associated with the near-term, multimodal alignment are considered Phase 1 of the East Bay Greenway, with the proposed urban trail on UPRR corridor becoming Phase 2.
On October 25, 2023, Alameda CTC staff presented an initial EBGWMM alignment in Hayward and solicited input from the Council Infrastructure Committee (CIC). Then on December 7, 2023, Alameda CTC approved the evaluation of the street network for EBGWMM-Hayward project and directed its staff to form an Active Transportation Work Group (ATWG) comprised of members of bicycle advocacy organizations, people with disabilities, school & park districts, business community groups, parents of school going children and interested local residents.
The ATWG advises project staff and stakeholders on key project decisions, ensuring that the preferred alignment is responsive to local context and needs while being suitable for bicyclists of all ages and abilities. It has assisted with community outreach and reviewed the project’s studies of existing conditions and the draft alignment and facility types. The ATWG has met three times and will meet at least once more in the spring.
As part of its outreach strategy, the project team has conducted an online survey, met with community-based organizations, held walking and biking audits of the study corridor, conducted focus group meetings, and held work sessions with the ATWG.
The Phase 1 EBGWMM project seeks to provide an all-ages-and-abilities inter-jurisdictional active transportation facility generally following the BART tracks. The proposed project alignment is integrated with local bikeway projects and runs on-street in a mix of separated and shared facilities depending on the characteristics of each street. The project will consist of shared-use paths, buffered bike lanes, protected bike lanes, bike boulevards with traffic calming, pedestrian crossing enhancements, pedestrian accessibility improvements, traffic signal modifications, lighting upgrades, bus boarding islands, transit signal priority, placemaking elements, landscaping, and urban design features.
This item discusses the project implementation within the city limits within the next 3-5 years.
DISCUSSION
Alameda CTC’s Commission approved an all-ages-and-abilities facility policy in December 2022, which provides guidance for selecting an appropriate bicycle facility based on traffic speeds and volumes. The intent is for bicycle facilities to be comfortable to use regardless of a bicyclist’s age or experience. Busy arterial streets will only be comfortable for most riders with Class IV separated facilities, but it may be comfortable to share traffic-calmed, low-volume local streets. The EBGWMM-Hayward project consists of a mix of local, collector, and arterial streets, and the draft alignments and facility types are tailored to each street’s specific characteristics.
Recognizing the challenges in establishing an all-ages-and-abilities route through Downtown and Mission Boulevard, Alameda CTC staff began evaluating alternatives consistent with the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan west of the BART and Union Pacific tracks in late 2022. Streets were evaluated based on first- and last-mile connectivity to BART stations, transportation safety needs, and impact to the existing curb lines to install all-ages-and-abilities bicycle facilities. The City Council and Alameda CTC approved the evaluation of the street network for EBGWMM in Fall 2023 and directed staff to form an ATWG to help the project team develop context-sensitive, all-ages-and-abilities facilities.
Alameda CTC also conducted traffic and parking studies to collectively inform the alignment and array of facility types that could be implemented in the near term. Ultimately, both Alameda CTC and the City staff recommend further exploring a facility on the following streets:
Table 1: Recommended alignment and facility types
Street
Extents
Facility Type
Montgomery Street
Sunset Blvd to B St
Bike Boulevard
B Street
Montgomery St to Grand St
Two-way separated bike lane
Grand Street
B St to Meek Ave
One-way separated bike lane
Meek Avenue
Grand St to Jackson St
One-way separated bike lane
Silva Avenue
Jackson St to Sycamore Ave
Bike Boulevard
Sycamore Avenue
Silva Ave to Whitman St
Two-way separated bike lane
Whitman St
Sycamore Ave to Tennyson Rd
Two-way separated bike lane
Tennyson Rd
Whitman St to Dixon St
Two-way separated bike lane
Note: The streets described are consistent with the City’s current Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (2020).
A map of the proposed alignment and facility types is shown below:
Figure 1: Map of the Proposed East Bay Greenway Alignment Attachment II includes draft existing conditions and concept designs for select segments along the route.
The study also assessed the feasibility of facilities on parallel streets that would be consistent with the all-ages-and-abilities policy.
Due to the importance of Mission Boulevard to transportation safety and its close relationship with the rest of the corridor, Alameda CTC is also evaluating pedestrian improvements at 11 intersections along Mission Boulevard. City staff are also evaluating opportunities to implement bicycling improvements along segments of Mission Boulevard and will be conducting a multimodal corridor study funded with a federal grant that will evaluate opportunities to implement bicycle facilities and make other safety enhancements.
Alameda CTC, in coordination with the City, has shared the draft alignment and types of facilities with ATWG and other community members and now is seeking feedback from the CIAC, including on outreach efforts, studies completed to date, a draft alignment, types of facilities that can be implemented within the existing roadway, and associated tradeoffs.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
High quality bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure can increase the value of nearby homes. Studies also show that bike lanes benefit businesses with increased sales, translating to increased sales tax revenue. Bicycle infrastructure encourages active transportation use, lowering the overall transportation costs for users and leading to better health outcomes from increased physical activity.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item supports the “Invest in Infrastructure” focus area and specifically supports implementation of the following:
Invest in Multi-Modal Transportation
Project N1: Continue to implement major corridor traffic calming initiatives.
Project N6: Continue to add approximate 10 miles of bike lanes annually, with a focus on protected bike lanes and intersections that have high traffic/incidents.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
This project will provide high-quality bicycle and pedestrian improvements that will encourage road users to adopt more active forms of transportation. Mode shift towards active transportation provides environmental benefits by reducing traffic congestion and lowering the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, active transportation infrastructure supports physical activity, leading to improved physical and mental health.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The project team has embarked on a robust public outreach effort to evaluate the alignment and types of facilities for near-term implementation. Outreach is occurring in three phases, shown below:
Table 2: Phases of Public Outreach
Phase
Outreach Goal
Timeline
1 Share information about this EBGWMM-Hayward Segment project and gather input on existing conditions.
March 2024 – June 2024
2 Solicit input on the EBGWMM-Hayward Segment project alternatives to inform the recommended (draft) alignment.
July 2024 – October 2024
3 Provide updates on the concept design for the EBGWMM-Hayward Segment project and solicit feedback.
December 2024 – March 2025
Alameda CTC reached out to the community to share information and solicit input through the following activities:
Coordination via e-mails and website announcements (Project Website: Alameda CTC East Bay Greenway Website) Pop-up events at the Hawaiian May Day Festival and Eden Greenway hot meal and grocery giveaway Walking and biking tours of the corridor, with attendees recommended by the ATWG Focus groups
Coordination with the professional networks of ATWG members Mailers & Flyer
E-blasts
Mailers and flyers were made available in English, Spanish, simplified Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
FISCAL IMPACT
The current phase of the project is funded by the Alameda CTC. The ultimate construction project is likely to be funded from a mix of existing county, regional, and state fund sources. City staff time is required to manage and oversee the transportation impact study, design, community outreach, and the implementation of EBGWMM projects.
NEXT STEPS
Staff request feedback from the members of CIAC on the proposed alignment and facility types identified for the EBGWMM-Hayward Segment project. Following that direction, staff from the City and Alameda CTC will continue community outreach and concept design. Staff anticipate returning to CIAC and full Council in late 2025 to seek approval for one of the alternative concepts to move into the Environmental phase.
Prepared by: Jhay Delos Reyes/Kanda Raj, Alameda CTC
Lucas Woodward, Senior Transportation Engineer
Hugh Louch, Deputy Director of Public Works – Transportation Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
________________________________
Dustin Claussen, Interim City Manager
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