DATE: June 25, 2025
TO: Council Infrastructure & Airport Committee
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: California Air Resources Board Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Project – Status Update
RECOMMENDATION
That the Council Infrastructure & Airport Committee (CIAC) provides feedback on the status and draft designs for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Project.
SUMMARY
In 2024, the City was selected for a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Clean Mobility in Schools Program Grant that includes street infrastructure improvements for 12 schools. This item provides an update on the infrastructure component of the Clean Mobility grant.
Conceptual plans for these schools were developed from 2016-2020 through public outreach and partnership with Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC). Staff updated the conceptual plans in Summer 2024. The City Council selected Sanbell as a consultant to develop Project PS&E (Plans, Specifications, and Estimate) in December 2024. The City Manager executed a Professional Services Agreement not to exceed $685,000 and work began on the project in January 2025.
The project is currently on schedule with City Staff working to review 30% Design plans. Conceptual designs of major improvements for each school are provided in Attachment II. Signage and striping elements are generally included at later stages in the design process. Staff and the consultant team will continue to perform outreach with schools and further develop and refine the recommendations, with full design expected in early 2026 and construction planned for Spring and Summer 2026.
BACKGROUND
The goal of the Safe Routes to School program in Hayward is to make it safer and more convenient for kids to walk and bike to school. This helps to alleviate congestion and pollution in school areas related to school pick-up and drop-off and also builds healthy and sustainable habits in students at an early age.
In 2024, the City was selected for a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Clean Mobility in Schools Program Grant that includes infrastructure improvements for 12 schools. The infrastructure improvements recommended at these school sites were developed during School Safety Assessments from 2016-2020 with the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC). The Alameda CTC Safe Routes to Schools Program provides consultant support for studies and programs that encourage walking and bicycling safely to school; however, cities are expected to lead and identify funding for design and construction. The CARB grant provides the opportunity for the City to do so.
Both best practices in transportation engineering and the specific needs for each school have evolved in the years since the recommendations were developed. In addition, some of the recommendations have been implemented in past efforts through City work orders or street repaving, Others may be considered in the context of future programmed projects, such as corridor studies performed through the Federal Safe Streets for All grant.
Staff re-evaluated some of the Safe Routes to School infrastructure recommendations due to these considerations. The updated program of projects includes stronger, more focused infrastructure recommendations that should more substantially improve the walking and bicycling environment around Hayward’s schools.
The City issued a competitive RFP in November 2024 and selected Sanbell as a consultant to develop Project PS&E in December 2024. This staff report shares progress on the design of these improvements.
DISCUSSION
City staff and the consultant team began working on the Project PS&E in January 2025. Early stages of the project included data collection, utility mapping, topographic survey, and concept designs.
The project is currently at 30% design, with staff having reviewed initial concept designs in May. Simplified illustrations of planned improvements are shown in Attachment 1 and summarized in the table below. These include concrete and asphalt improvements, and not signage and striping plans, which will be developed at later design stages. The City is also receiving a construction cost estimate for the proposed improvements, which will be refined during later design stages.
Table 1: Summary of Safe Routes to School Improvements
School
Description of Improvements
Burbank Elementary
Raised crosswalk
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Faith Ringgold School
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB)
Harder Elementary
Establishment of School Zone on Harder Ave
Speed humps
Impact Academy
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Longwood Elementary
Speed humps
Traffic circle
Sidewalk bulb-out and RRFB at key intersections
Martin Luther King Middle
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Palma Ceia Elementary
Traffic circle
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Park Elementary
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Crosswalk with RRFB
Schafer Park Elementary
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Southgate Elementary
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Tyrrell Elementary
Sidewalk bulb-outs at key intersections
Winton Middle
Left turn management at school entrance
Modify median refuge island
At the 30% design stage, staff and the consultant team have a good sense of the physical constraints at each site and have tailored designs to avoid major conflicts. Future submittals include striping plans and construction details. Staff will continue to work with the consultant team to further develop these recommendations.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
This item has no direct economic impact. However, the Project will provide improved safety and access for people walking, bicycling, and driving near schools throughout Hayward, helping residents to reduce their transportation costs and leading to better health outcomes from increased physical activity.
FISCAL IMPACT
The current design phase of the project is entirely funded from the CARB grant. Construction funding will mostly come from CARB funds, with additional contributions from CIP projects for Palma Ceia and Harder Elementary schools. As more refined cost estimates are developed through the design process, staff may prioritize among recommendations if needed to stay within funding that has been allocated.
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 N4: Implement Safe Routes for School, with a focus on Cesar Chavez and Palma Ceia
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
The Project will make Hayward’s schools safer and more accessible for all modes of transportation. Driving students to school accounts for a substantial amount of morning congestion and air pollution, and this Project will advance projects that give parents and students better alternatives to doing so. The 30% plans include several opportunities identified for green stormwater management, to be further evaluated during the design process.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The Safe Routes to School concept designs were developed through workshops held at each school between 2016-2020. These workshops were attended by school officials, parents, City staff, Alameda CTC staff and Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) staff. Because this outreach was performed a few years ago, staff have been working as part of the CARB grant to refresh the public outreach for this and other improvements. The City, with assistance from TransForm, has developed a single-page flier for each school in English and Spanish, to be shared with school communities. Staff have also shared draft recommendations as they are relevant to other City projects; for example, the Faith Ringgold recommendations were shared as part of the D Street Traffic Calming workshop.
The infrastructure recommendations described above will not remove roadway capacity. Some parking removal is expected but the overwhelming majority of parking spaces affected would already be illegal under Assembly Bill 413 (A.B. 413), which restricts parking within 20 feet of crosswalks. However, outreach will continue with school officials throughout the summer to ensure that they are aware of proposed changes and can provide meaningful input on the roadway striping as those plans are developed.
NEXT STEPS
Staff request feedback from the members of CIAC on the proposed improvements. Staff will continue to perform outreach throughout the summer and fall and will continue refining the designs and developing striping plans for each school area. Final designs are expected by early 2026, with construction to follow in the spring and summer 2026.
The Safe Routes for School infrastructure improvements will be evaluated with pre- and post-installation surveys of the school community to understand how the improvements have affected their school travel patterns.
Prepared by: Lucas Woodward, Senior Transportation Engineer Byron Tang, Principal Transportation Engineer
Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
Michael S. Lawson, Acting City Manager