More buses run on Broadway than on any other street in Oakland. In fact, more buses run on Broadway than on any other street in the East Bay. But travel times on Broadway are unpredictable. This means that as the many routes that serve East Oakland, North Oakland, and West Oakland enter downtown and travel along Broadway, they each experience unreliable travel times, impacting passengers from across Oakland.
On October 1, 2019, the City Council adopted a resolution of support for transit only lanes on Broadway. The City completed construction of transit only lanes on Broadway between 11th and 20th Streets in August 2020, and plans to extend them south from 11th to 6th Street, and North from 20th Street to Grand Avenue. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 to coordinate with RAISE grant funding received in Winter 2021.
Adding dedicated bus lanes on Broadway in downtown will result in up to 30% travel time savings and 20% travel time reliability for buses. The City is currently studying travel time savings for buses on Broadway for Phase 2 of the project; 6th Street to West Grand Avenue. Bus service on Broadway connects to all parts of the AC Transit system. This means that improvements to bus service on Broadway will benefit the majority of AC Transit riders, including those whose origins or destinations are in East Oakland, North Oakland, West Oakland, and regional destinations countywide.
Specific signal and pedestrian crossing improvements at 7th, 8th, and 9th Streets include:
- Add 12” diameter signal head
- New pedestrian audio signal
- Add an internally illuminated street name sign (IISNS)
Full funding for paving, red painted transit lanes, and pedestrian safety improvements is available through Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Measure BB Transportation Expenditure Plan, which set aside funding for transit improvements on Broadway.