Public Works and Transportation Committee 7/14/2026
AGENDA REPORT TO: Elizabeth Lake FROM: Josh Rowan Acting City Administrator Director of Transportation SUBJECT:AC Transit Fruitvale Avenue Cooperation AgreementDATE: June 15, 2026 City Administrator Approval Date: RECOMMENDATION Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Execute An Inter-Governmental Cooperation Agreement With The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) For The Fruitvale Avenue Transit Signal Priority Project And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Approval of this resolution allows the City Administrator to enter into an agreement with AC Transit to deliver signal improvements along Fruitvale Avenue and connecting streets in East Oakland. Under the agreement, AC Transit will fund, design, and construct Transit Signal Priority (TSP) upgrades. TSP technology detects approaching buses and adjusts traffic signals to give them a green light sooner or hold a green light longer, helping buses run on time. After construction, AC Transit will transfer ownership of the new signal and communications equipment to the City. The City will maintain that signal equipment going forward, while AC Transit will continue to maintain the TSP devices themselves. The Fruitvale Avenue Transit Signal Priority Project (Project) is funded through regional and federal sources, with minimal cost to the City. This project directly benefits East Oakland residents who depend on bus service for daily needs. AC Transit's ridership is majority people of color, low-income riders, seniors, people with disabilities, and youth. Seven of the eight census tracts in the project area are designated high- or highest-priority neighborhoods under the City's Geographic Equity Map. More reliable, on-time bus service in these communities expands access to jobs, healthcare, and education for those who need it most.
Betsy Lake (Jun 29, 2026 12:29:52 PDT)
Jun 29, 2026
Elizabeth Lake, Acting City AdministratorSubject: AC Transit Fruitvale Avenue Cooperation Agreement Date: June 15, 2026 Page 2 Public Works and Transportation Committee 7/14/2026
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY In recent years, AC Transit has implemented transit signal improvements, consistent with the Transit Action Strategy and AC Transit Major Corridors Study (described in the Related Planning Efforts section). In 2015, AC Transit completed a project to improve transit speed and reliability along the AC Transit Line 51 (Resolution No. 84648 C.M.S.), which runs from the City of Alameda, through the Posey Tube to Oakland Chinatown and then up Broadway and College Avenue in Oakland before continuing into Berkeley. The project increased overall travel speed and improved the reliability of service. Improvements included interconnection of traffic signals with fiber optic cable, new signal controllers, transit priority equipment and bus stop improvements and relocations. In winter 2025, AC Transit initiated construction on the Rapid Corridors Project to improve transit speed and reliability on the Telegraph Avenue, San Pablo Avenue and West Grand/Grand Avenue corridors (Resolution No. 89127 C.M.S.). This Project advances similar improvements along Fruitvale Avenue in East Oakland. ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES The Project will make traffic signal improvements, including installation of TSP equipment, along the following streets (Project Corridors): Fruitvale Avenue, from Macarthur Boulevard to East 9th Street San Leandro Street, from Fruitvale Avenue to 35th Avenue (leading into Fruitvale BART Station) 35th Avenue, from San Leandro Street to East 12thStreet East 12th Street, from 35th Avenue to 29th Avenue 29th Avenue, from East 12th Street to East 10th Street Other improvements include installing corridor communications along Fruitvale Avenue between Macarthur Avenue and San Leandro Street. The Project is depicted in the Location Map provided as Attachment A. The proposed Cooperation Agreement reinforces the City’s partnership with AC Transit and represents a significant investment in the City's transit network at minimal direct cost to the City of Oakland. The Cooperation Agreement provides that AC Transit will design and construct the Project. Upon completion of the design and construction of the Project by AC Transit, AC Transit will transfer ownership of all improvements in Oakland to the City, and the City will assume responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the new traffic signal and communications equipment installed as part of the project, except for the TSP equipment, which will be maintained by AC Transit. The draft Cooperation Agreement is provided as Attachment B and spells out in more detail the roles and responsibilities for AC Transit and the City. Not adopting the resolution to enter into a Cooperation Agreement with AC Transit would delay transit speed, reliability, and access improvements along the Project Corridors. It may also Elizabeth Lake, Acting City AdministratorSubject: AC Transit Fruitvale Avenue Cooperation Agreement Date: June 15, 2026 Page 3 Public Works and Transportation Committee 7/14/2026
leave the City to shoulder the financial and staff resource costs of upgrading signals, improving signal timing, and improving bus stops. The Cooperation Agreement provides clarity regarding roles and responsibilities of design, construction, and maintenance. A lack of clarity regarding roles and responsibilities may lead to unpredictable and inefficient maintenance and operations. RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS The Project implements recommendations from two foundational transit planning efforts: Transit Action Strategy – Completed collaboratively by OakDOT and AC Transit in 2020, the Transit Action Strategy (TAS) establishes a prioritized framework for improving transit speed, reliability, and access across Oakland. The TAS encompasses a range of improvements — from targeted operational changes such as expanded red curb zones and refreshed crosswalks near bus stops, to signal retiming to reduce consecutive red lights for buses and motorists, to longer-term community planning efforts along major transit corridors. This Project directly implements the TAS's signal priority recommendations, delivering measurable progress for the Oaklanders who depend on bus service every day. AC Transit Major Corridors Study -- Approved by the AC Transit’s Board in 2016, this study identified short- and long-term infrastructure and operational improvements across 12 high-ridership corridors, including Fruitvale Avenue/Park Boulevard. This Project represents the first step toward implementing the study's short-term recommendations on the Fruitvale Avenue/Park Boulevard corridor. FISCAL IMPACT The fiscal impact on the City's traffic operations and maintenance is expected to be minimal, with maintenance of traffic signal and communications equipment absorbed within OakDOT’s existing operations budget. AC Transit will hire a contractor to operate and maintain all TSP equipment deployed by the Project within the City. PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST AC Transit conducted extensive public engagement in support of this Project over the course of 18 months as part of the 2016 Major Corridors Study. Outreach activities included public and agency meetings, direct rider engagement at bus stops, and two surveys with over 700 participants. Riders strongly and consistently support project elements that increase service reliability, reduce travel time, and improve the overall travel experience. Service reliability emerged as one Elizabeth Lake, Acting City AdministratorSubject: AC Transit Fruitvale Avenue Cooperation Agreement Date: June 15, 2026 Page 4 Public Works and Transportation Committee 7/14/2026
of the top concerns raised throughout outreach events — riders want a dependable bus schedule that allows them to plan their trips with confidence. Respondents frequently noted that buses are often bunched together and expressed a clear desire for consistent headways. TSP, which directly addresses these concerns by helping buses stay on schedule, was particularly well received. Construction impacts on the traveling public and the surrounding Fruitvale Avenue community are anticipated to be minimal. However, AC Transit and their construction contractor will conduct targeted public outreach in advance of any construction activity to keep community members informed and address concerns. COORDINATION OakDOT consulted and coordinated with the City Attorney’s office and Budget Bureau in the writing of this report and the content. RACE AND EQUITY The demographics of the project area match AC Transit’s ridership. AC Transit’s riders are majority people of color, low- and no-income, people with disabilities, seniors, and youth. By improving bus speed and reliability, the Project directly expands access to jobs, healthcare, and education for people who need it most. The Project area spans eight census tracts, seven of which are classified as “high” or “highest” priority neighborhoods under OakDOT’s Geographic Equity Map—a designation based on seven compounding demographic factors: race, income, disability status, age, single-parent household status, rent burden, and educational attainment. Concentrating transit investments in this area is a direct application of equity-centered planning. A formal racial equity impact analysis was not completed for this action; however, the Project’s benefits are measurable and will be tracked. AC Transit will monitor bus reliability before and after construction to document improvements in travel time and service consistency—providing an accountable record of outcomes in Oakland’s priority communities. CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the following CEQA Guidelines Sections: Section 15162 and 15163 (no further environmental review required); Section 15060(c)(2) (no direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment); Section 15061(b)(3) (no significant effect on the environment); Section 15183 (projects consistent with a community plan, general plan, or zoning), Section 15301 (existing facilities), Section 15302 (replacement or reconstruction), each of which Elizabeth Lake, Acting City AdministratorSubject: AC Transit Fruitvale Avenue Cooperation Agreement Date: June 15, 2026 Page 5 Public Works and Transportation Committee 7/14/2026
provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA clearance and when viewed collectively provide an overall basis for CEQA clearance. ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Execute An Inter-Governmental Cooperation Agreement With The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) For The Fruitvale Avenue Transit Signal Priority Project And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings. For questions regarding this report, please contact Emily Ehlers at [email protected]. Respectfully submitted, Megan Wier Acting Director, Department of Transportation Reviewed by: Jamie Parks, Assistant Director Emily Ehlers, Division Manager Acacia Dupierre, Supervising Transportation Planner Prepared by: Manuel Corona, Transportation Planner Major Projects Division Attachments (2): A: AC Transit Fruitvale Avenue TSP Project Location Map B: AC Transit Fruitvale Avenue TSP Cooperation Agreement