DATE:
January 27, 2026
TO:
Mayor and City Council
FROM:
Director of Public Works
SUBJECT:
East Bay Greenway Multimodal Project: Adopt a Resolution Approving the Project Evaluation for the East Bay Greenway Multimodal – Hayward Segment Project
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council adopts the attached resolution (Attachment II) approving the completed scoping level evaluation of the East Bay Greenway Multimodal (EBGWMM) – Hayward Project, enabling project development activities to advance to the Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA&ED) phase.
SUMMARY
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 Project, a near-term project (3-5 years) within the jurisdiction of the City of Hayward (City). City staff have been integral partners during this planning process, providing key input and coordination to ensure that the East Bay Greenway reflects local priorities while supporting regional connectivity. The project has been developed through extensive input from other project stakeholders such as AC Transit, BART, and various community groups, including public schools, local residents, Bike Hayward, disability groups, and community-based organizations (CBOs).
The goals of the EBGWMM – Hayward 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 Project is currently in the scoping phase. Subject to City Council’s approval of the scoping level project concepts, Alameda CTC is expected to commence the next phase of project development, i.e., the PA&ED phase, in early 2026.
The project team, comprised of the City, Alameda CTC and its consultant team members, have conducted robust public outreach, coordinated with a project-specific Active Transportation Working Group (ATWG), and developed project concepts that include conceptual level project alignment and facility types. The project improvements are expected to implement a safe near-term bicycle and pedestrian facility within the project corridor.
Council Infrastructure & Airport Committee Review
The Council Infrastructure and Airport Committee (CIAC) met, reviewed and approved the project evaluation in its October 22, 2025, meeting. Now, the City and Alameda CTC are seeking the City Council to review and approve the completed scoping level evaluation of the EBGWMM – Hayward Project, enabling the project development activities to advance to the next phase of project development activities, PA&ED phase.
FISCAL IMPACT
This item has no impact on the General Fund or Measure C.
The current scoping phase and subsequent PA&ED phase of the project are funded by Alameda CTC. The future phases of final design and the construction of the project are likely to be funded from a mix of existing county, regional, state and federal fund sources. City staff time is required to manage and oversee the transportation impact study, design, community outreach, and the implementation of EBGWMM - Hayward Project. Staff participation in these activities is expected to be funded through Fund 212 - Measure BB (Local Transportation).
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 and other negotiations with Union Pacific.
In late 2021, the Alameda CTC directed the staff to evaluate a project that could be implemented in the near term (3-5 years). A near-term project likely will have to be implemented within existing City right-of-way, coordinating with local active transportation projects, serving BART stations, and providing bicycle facilities suitable for users of all ages and abilities. Recognizing the challenges in establishing an all ages-and-abilities route through Downtown and Mission Boulevard, in late 2022, Alameda CTC staff began evaluating scoping level alternatives consistent with the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, west of the BART and Union Pacific tracks. Streets were evaluated based on first- and last-mile connectivity to BART stations, transportation safety needs, and impacts to right-of-way and curblines.
On December 7, 2023, as the sponsoring agency, Alameda CTC approved the resources required for evaluating the street network for the multimodal project and directed its staff to form an ATWG. City and Alameda CTC staff recruited a project-specific ATWG comprised of participants from AC Transit, BART, members of bicycle advocacy organizations, people with disabilities, school and park districts, business community groups, parents of school going children and interested residents. The ATWG has met four times since its inception, to review and advise project staff and stakeholders on key project decisions and ensure that the project is responsive to local context and needs, while being suitable for bicyclists of all ages and abilities.
On October 23, 2024, staff presented a conceptual level draft alignment and types of facilities to the CIAC. The CIAC reviewed and requested to limit the number of parking space losses and conduct focused outreach to residents along Whitman Street. Staff performed additional outreach and incorporated community feedback in the recommendations where feasible. The specific outreach activities and their findings are described in the “Public Contact” section below and in Attachment IV: Phase 3 Outreach Summary.
As part of its outreach strategy, the project team conducted an online survey, met with community-based organizations, held walking and biking audits of the study corridor, conducted focus group meetings, conducted door-to-door outreach, met with school staff and conducted survey with Tennyson High School and Cesar Chavez Middle School staff and students. The project team incorporated community, school staff and students’ feedback in the project concepts.
In addition to conducting public outreach and performing field reviews, the project team also conducted traffic and parking studies, as well as a cut-through traffic diversion analysis that informed the alignment and array of facility types that could be implemented in the near term.
On October 22, 2025, staff returned to CIAC, presented the refined project concepts, and sought CIAC’s approval of this refined project concepts/evaluation. CIAC reviewed and approved the completed evaluation, however, requested the staff to embark on additional public outreach and project evaluation in the upcoming PA&ED phase.
The following is a list of outreach activities that the project team is committed to implementing within the Calendar Year 2026:
January – March 2026
Solicit input from City Council/City Staff regarding specific groups or individuals to engage Work with CBOs to identify small group meeting opportunities Continue to meet with the project’s ATWG to discuss ways to communicate/showcase project benefits April – June 2026
Follow-up round of door-to-door outreach to residents to discuss project benefits.
Partner with study area schools (3) and the Safe Routes to School Program to promote the EBGWMM project during Walk & Roll to School Day in May 2026.
Hold focus group meetings based on guidance from CBO partners and ATWG July – December 2026
Meet with the ATWG to discuss feedback received and additional engagement
DISCUSSION
Alameda CTC approved an “All-Ages-and-Abilities” bicycle facility policy in December 2022, which provides guidance for selecting an appropriate level of separation between bicyclists and motorists based on traffic speeds and volumes, consistent with guidance from the Federal Highway Administration. The intent is for bicycle facilities to be comfortable to use regardless of a bicyclist’s age or experience. Most people are comfortable bicycling along busy arterial streets only when a separated Class IV bicycle facility is provided. Most riders are comfortable sharing the street with traffic only when the traffic volumes and vehicle speeds are low. 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. Figure 1 and Table 2 below summarize the project concepts at the conclusion of current scoping phase. Additional detail is provided in Attachment III, and Figure 1 is also shown in Attachment V. These recommendations are still conceptual, with substantial work remaining to refine them through additional public outreach and technical study during the upcoming PA&ED phase.
While a continuous regional bicycle facility is an overall goal of the project, other community-serving amenities - such as landscaping, traffic calming, and lighting – are important elements as well. When the project is complete, it is expected to include shared use paths, 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.
Figure 1: Map of project concepts
Table 2: Table of project concepts
Street Name
Description of Potential Improvements
Sunset Boulevard
Bike Boulevard + Traffic Calming
Montgomery Street
Bike Boulevard + Traffic Calming
B Street
Two-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes
Grand Street (from B Street to D Street)
Two-Way + One-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes
Grand Street (from D Street to Meek Avenue)
One-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes
Meek Avenue
One-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes
Silva Avenue
Bike Boulevard + Traffic Calming
Sycamore Avenue
Two-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes
Whitman Street (from Sycamore Avenue to Fruitwood Way)
Class I Shared-Use Path + Traffic Calming
Whitman Street (from Fruitwood Way to Tennyson Road)
Two-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes + Traffic Calming Tennyson Road
Two-Way + One-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes
Dixon Street
One-Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes
Notes:
These are from a conceptual level evaluation only. Additional evaluation will be required in the next phase.
The streets described are consistent with the City’s current Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (2020).
Due to high traffic volume generated from the residences along Silva Avenue, the bike boulevard concept will not meet AAA (all ages and abilities) criteria. Traffic calming measures will be implemented to slow down motorized vehicles.
Within three months of approval of the current project evaluation, the design team will complete the preliminary intersection and traffic calming concept designs, effectively concluding the Planning phase of the project. Project improvements will be further evaluated during the next phase (PA&ED phase) of project development that is expected to commence in early 2026. During PA&ED, the project need is defined and clarified, alternatives, including a no-build alternative, are considered, and environmental impacts are identified and mitigated if necessary. Based on analysis performed for other East Bay Greenway segments, the project team anticipates that the project will be Categorically Exempt from environmental review under CEQA at this time, but this will be confirmed in this upcoming project phase.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The East Bay Greenway project includes placemaking elements, such as landscaping and lighting, and curb-separated bike lanes. Several studies have shown that high-quality infrastructure like this, as opposed to conventional painted lanes, is likely to increase the value of properties along the corridor. Negative economic impacts are possible that relate the availability of on-street parking or travel lanes. Pedestrian and 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 because unlike driving trips, walking and biking do not cause pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, active transportation infrastructure supports physical activity, leading to improved physical and mental health.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The project team conducted robust public outreach to evaluate the project concepts for near-term implementation. The outreach plan includes several phases, three of which have been completed, as shown below:
Table 3: 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 draft concepts.
July 2024 – October 2024
3 Solicit input from residents and schools within the project study limits regarding project tradeoffs and on-street parking.
January 2025 – July 2025
4 Update and refine the concept design for the EBGWMM-Hayward Segment project.
January 2026 – March 2026
5 Increase public awareness among neighboring residents of the project plans and opportunities to provide feedback during environmental analysis.
April 2026-June 2026
6 Additional engagement as needed with input from Active Transportation Working Group July 2026-December 2026
Outreach activities were designed to reach a broad and diverse cross-section of the community through different methods. Rather than relying on any single event, the effort was layered to ensure that different populations, including residents, students, and community-based organizations, could provide meaningful input. Some activities were meant to reach broad audiences, and others were intended to facilitate deeper, more substantial discussion. Outreach activities are included as Attachment IV, and a summary list, as provided below:
Coordination via e-mails and website announcements
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 ATWG members
Mailers and project information flyer
Door-to-door outreach to residents living along the corridor Meetings with the principals of Tennyson High School and Cesar Chavez Middle School Online survey to summer school students, faculty, and staff Mailers and flyers were made available in English, Spanish, simplified Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
At the request of CIAC in its October 2024 meeting, the project team performed additional public outreach to schools and residents directly on the proposed route between April and July 2025, where community members would be most immediately affected by the proposed alignment. In addition to distributing 969 flyers with online feedback forms, the project team knocked on 193 doors and held 55 in-person conversations. Residents shared a mixture of reactions to the proposed concept design in these in-person conversations. While some expressed support for their street receiving attention and investment and agreed that changes were necessary, there was mixed sentiment regarding what those changes may look like.
Residents were generally supportive of the project’s main multimodal goals Residents expressed strong support for improved aesthetics, safety, and walking conditions.
Some residents expressed frustration with heavy traffic and speeding Some residents were apprehensive about the potential for removal of parking or travel lanes Documentation and discussion about these respondents and the frequency of their sentiments is provided in Attachment IV.
In addition, the project team met with staff at Tennyson High School and Cesar Chavez Middle School and developed a survey specifically for students and staff to share their feedback on the two proposed designs for Whitman Street. One alternative preserved parking on both sides of the street and one maintained parking only on one side of the street. Responses were evenly divided, with staff preferring the design that preserved parking on both sides, and students preferring the design that removed one parking lane for better walking and bicycling facilities.
Through Spring and Summer 2026 the project team plans to hold an additional round of door-to-door outreach and partner with neighborhood schools during Walk and Roll to School Day in May. An additional meeting will be held with the Active Transportation Working Group where the potential need for additional outreach will be discussed.
NEXT STEPS
Staff request that the City Council review and approve the project evaluation, enable the project team to conclude the current scoping phase and embark on the next phase of project development activities , while continuing to engage the community and interested groups to future evaluate the project.
City Council approval would allow the project to proceed with detailed environmental review, engineering studies, and continued community engagement. This approval does not commit funding to the project or finalize design decisions. Rather, it authorizes the necessary next steps to better understand project impacts, refine designs based on technical analysis and public input, and position the project for future funding opportunities. The final plan will continue to evolve as additional community and stakeholder input is solicited.
Staff will continue to provide periodic project status update to CIAC and the City Council, and in early 2027, will seek City Council to adopt a support position on the environmental document to be prepared for the project. Completion of an environmental document for the project is essential for soliciting federal and state funding for the next phases of project development, including for the project construction phase.
Future CIAC/City Council actions:
CIAC/City Council
Receive yearly project status updates in Fall 2026
City Council
Support the project in early 2027 (for environmental clearance) Approve project design for construction in spring 2029 (T) Accept completed construction and take ownership of project assets in spring 2031 (T).
Prepared by: Lucas Woodward, Senior Transportation Engineer Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works Approved by:
______________________________
Jennifer Ott, City Manager
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