Oakland

Oakland Officials Pave Out 5-Year Street Improvement Plan, Celebrate Improved Street Quality

A cyclist in Oakland.
Yalonda M. James/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

As the City of Oakland's Department of Transportation wraps up its first three years in its street improvement plan, city planners announced on Tuesday that their eyes are set on ambitious pavement quality goals in the next five years.

After city council allocated $100 million in Measure KK funds into the initial 3-year project in 2019, 28 percent of Oakland's local streets are in good or excellent condition, as compared to 15 percent in 2016, according to city data. The amount of local streets in poor condition also dropped for the first time in 10 years, from 60 percent to 53 percent.

The project also brought about 100 miles worth of freshly paved streets into neighborhoods and major streets.

"Oakland proves time and time again that when we all play our part and we invest in our communities, we make incredible progress together," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement. "For decades our streets went underfunded, and the results have been intolerable for every neighborhood in our town. Thanks to the generosity of voters who passed Measure KK, and to the hard work of our City of Oakland team, we're turning that around and setting our sights even higher."

The new, drafted 5-year plan hopes to improve pavement conditions and provide preventative care on over 350 miles of streets, with an emphasis on local streets in underrepresented neighborhoods. Transportation department representatives will also prioritize streets near parks and next to other segments in poor condition. OakDOT Director Ryan Russo said hundreds of miles of Oakland streets were worsening over the years without proper care, but the tide is turning.

"This is just a down payment on repairing decades of neglect, but we're confident that with sustained leadership and investment we'll keep delivering the changes Oaklanders have demanded of us," Russo said in a statement.

Residents can review the plan details and proposed map at https://www.oaklandca.gov/projects/20225yp.

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