Key Highlights :
The Port of Oakland is the ninth busiest port in the nation, handling more than 2.4 million containers in 2022. To ensure that the hundreds of trucks that use this 90-year-old primary gateway to the port can travel safely and efficiently, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) has awarded a $364.5 million contract to Bay Area-based Ghilotti Construction Company, Inc. to realign and reconstruct 7th Street.
The project, which is the first phase of a larger effort, will widen traffic lanes, heighten the underpass’ clearance, update seismic standards and reduce congestion for the trucks that use the street. Crucially, none of the rail or truck service along 7th Street will be stopped or disrupted during the construction. The largest sources of funding for the project include $111 million from Measure BB, a local transportation sales tax increase approved in 2014, and $175 million from State Senate Bill 1 funds earmarked for Trade Corridor Enhancement Programs.
The project also will construct a fully-separated, ADA-compliant pathway for bicycles and pedestrians accessing Middle Harbor Shoreline Park and the Bay Trail, in addition to wall “greening” installed along the road to reduce traffic’s negative impacts on public health in West Oakland.
Once completed, the project will benefit the entire neighboring community by curtailing the quantity and duration of trucks idling in the area waiting for cargo, improving air quality and reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions. It will also coincide with the upcoming installation of a Smart Corridor, which utilizes smart traffic sensors, messaging and signals to help truck drivers more efficiently navigate the port.
Tess Lengyel, ACTC’s executive director, said it’s been a long time coming. While the project’s final design was completed in December, she said ACTC first identified the need to modernize the corridor a decade prior. Negotiations between the numerous property owners and stakeholders involved took several years longer than expected, she said, but the upcoming construction now coincides with the upcoming installation of a Smart Corridor.
“On the map, this kind of looks small, but when you think about what it does in terms of the modernization of the gateway to the Port of Oakland, it’s huge,” Lengyel said. “I think this is just such an important project, and we’re pleased that we can deliver another promise to the voters that are happy to support with local funds … Everybody sees it’s a priority, so we’re moving forward and trying to get it built as quickly as we can.”