U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, and Eric Swalwell, D-Castro Valley, celebrated on Friday after receiving $30 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to install about 10 miles of street improvements along a transportation project corridor that parallels the BART tracks between the Lake Merritt and Bay Fair stations.
The project, referred to as the East Bay Greenway Multimodal Project, intends to improve safety and allow more connection between communities by installing protected bikeways, improving pedestrian crossing safety and accessibility, enhancing bus stops and installing placemarks like benches, lighting, and landscaping.
“This project will provide significant benefits to the communities that it traverses between the Lake Merritt BART station and the Bay Fair BART station … while helping to meet local, state, and national goals to improve transportation safety, economic competitiveness, climate resilience, and community connectivity,” Alameda CTC Commissioner and San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez III said in a news release.
Both Lee and Swalwell submitted a letter supporting the project in 2021, pushing for its inclusion in the Surface Transportation funding bill.
“We must continue making meaningful investments into our public transit systems, multimodal infrastructure, and transit-oriented development,” Lee said. “Our constituents deserve safe, viable alternatives to single occupancy vehicles.”
Oakland, one of the cities serviced by the new project, saw 33 deaths on its roadways last year, making 2023 the fourth year in a row the city saw more than 30 traffic-related fatalities, making its roadways among the deadliest in the country.
“Reconnecting communities that have been underinvested in will increase safety, access and result in more equitable opportunities for people who live and work in this corridor,” Alameda County Transportation Commission chair and Emeryville Councilmember John Bauters said. “This grant will provide a high-quality bike and pedestrian path that people can feel safe to use every day to travel for work, school and recreation. This project also means more affordable and healthier transportation options while providing a cleaner transportation choice that advances our agency’s climate goals.”
The project is expected to include East 10th/8th/12th Street, San Leandro Street, San Leandro Boulevard, and East 14th Street (state Highway 185), and roadways parallel to the BART system tracks between Lake Merritt BART station in Oakland and the Bayfair district in San Leandro.