DATE: September 23, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Accept and Appropriate $750,000 in Comprehensive Investment Plan Funds from the Alameda County Transportation Commission for the Downtown Bike Loop, Project No. 05353 and to Execute a Funding Agreement
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to accept and appropriate $750,000 from the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) and to execute a funding agreement for design and construction of the Downtown Bike Loop.
SUMMARY
In Summer 2024, Alameda CTC issued a call for projects under its 2026 Comprehensive Investment Plan that offers approximately $100 million in discretionary local transportation funding from various federal, state, regional, and countywide funding sources. This funding supports capital projects and programs that enhance Alameda County’s multimodal transportation system. Projects must align with the 2020 Countywide Transportation Plan, demonstrate public benefit, and prioritize improvements benefiting the Countywide Bikeways Network and disadvantaged communities. In October 2024, City Staff applied for the 2026-2030 funding cycle for the Bike Loop project, which implements high-priority recommendations from the City’s 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (BPMP). In May 2025, the City was awarded the requested amount of $750,000 for the design and construction of the project. This item officially accepts this grant funding, allowing the City to proceed to Design and Construction phases.
Staff has determined that this project is categorically exempt from environmental review under Section 15301(c) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines for operation, repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of existing facilities.
BACKGROUND
The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) Comprehensive Investment Plan (CIP) is a strategic framework that allocates federal, state, regional, and local funds to transportation projects across Alameda County. Updated every two years, the CIP consolidates various funding sources, including the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA), and Alameda County sales tax measures like Measures B and BB. The CIP prioritizes projects that enhance safety, mobility, and accessibility, including bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. It also supports local agencies through direct local distributions of funds and competitive grants, ensuring a coordinated approach to meeting the County's transportation needs.
The project establishes a network of separated bicycle lanes in Downtown Hayward, aligning with the City’s BPMP, the 2020 Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP), and the 2019 Downtown Hayward Specific Plan. The proposed Bike Loop project allows bicyclists to navigate the Downtown area on a low-stress network. Public outreach conducted for the BPMP consistently identified Downtown as the area with the greatest need for bicycle improvements.
The plan specifically calls for bicycle lanes on all streets included in the proposed Bike Loop, and the project meets or exceeds the classification recommended for each corridor.
In addition, the BPMP recommends near-term investments on streets like 2nd Street, Main Street, and C Street to provide safer alternatives while the City addresses the more challenging segments of the auto-oriented Hayward Loop
DISCUSSION
The Bike Loop project in downtown Hayward addresses critical transportation needs identified through multiple local plans including the 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (BPMP), the Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP), and the Downtown Hayward Specific Plan.
These plans, supported by extensive community outreach and data analysis, prioritize safer and more connected bicycle infrastructure to improve mobility and safety in an area historically dominated by high-speed, high-volume vehicular traffic that has diminished downtown’s vibrancy. The project will implement separated bike lanes and pedestrian enhancements along key streets including 2nd Street, C Street, and Watkins Street, creating a cohesive network that links neighborhoods, major transit hubs like the Hayward BART station, schools, and housing developments.
Community engagement for the BPMP and Downtown Specific Plan was robust and inclusive, involving. walking tours, surveys targeting equity priority communities, pop-up events, and working groups to shape project design and priorities. Input consistently highlighted the need for safer, low-stress bike and pedestrian routes, particularly downtown.
A separate ongoing effort is evaluating the Downtown Loop as part of the City’s Safe Streets Downtown study. This project considers different streets and will integrate with the findings of that study as part of an overall downtown multimodal network.
Staff has determined that this project is categorically exempt from environmental review under Section 15301(c) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines for operation, repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of existing facilities.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The City’s Downtown Specific Plan has identified that the Loop has resulted in significant challenges for air quality, safety, and access to Downtown businesses, contributing to a decline in the area’s economic vibrancy. It emphasizes the need for better bicycle and pedestrian connections within the Downtown area. The Bike Loop project provides an active transportation alternative that can knit the neighborhood together and better integrate it with other neighborhoods, supporting the City’s economic vitality.
FISCAL IMPACT
This item does not impact the City’s General Fund. The Bike Loop project is in the adopted FY26 Capital Improvement Program as Project 05353. The City is providing a $250,000 local match, which is funded by the City’s share of the Alameda County Measure BB Direct Local Distributions (Fund 213). If project costs were to exceed the grant and local match amounts, the City would need to adjust the project scope or identify additional funding sources.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item supports the Strategic Priority of Invest in Infrastructure: Invest in Infrastructure. Specifically, this item relates to the implementation of the following project:
Project N1: Continue to implement major corridor traffic calming initiatives
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
The project supports the City’s sustainability goals by providing alternatives to auto travel, especially for first and last mile transit connections, while improving safety through road diets, traffic calming, separated bikeways, and crossing improvements on corridors on the City’s High-Injury Network.
PUBLIC CONTACT
No public contact has been made specifically for this agenda item. However, the Bike Loop project was identified as a priority because of the repeated demand from the community for safer options to walk and bicycle within and to the City's Downtown. The project implements high-priority recommendations from the BPMP, which was developed through
a thorough community engagement process. During project design and implementation, staff will engage with local residents and businesses to share information and receive input.
NEXT STEPS
If Council approves this request, the City Manager will accept and appropriate $750,000 in Comprehensive Investment Program funds from the Alameda County Transportation Commission and enter into a funding agreement. Once the funding agreement is executed, these funds will be available to reimburse project costs.
Prepared by: Lucas Woodward, Senior Transportation Engineer
Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
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Jayanti Addleman, Interim City Manager