7th Street Connection Project

In the early 1900s, 7th Street was the center of Black jazz and blues culture in the Bay Area. This area was known as the Harlem of the West. 7th Street was lined with Black-owned restaurants, night clubs, a record store, and much more. It also had a streetcar line leading to the Oakland freight and ferry terminal. Since then, 7th Street has seen decades of demolition, displacement, and disinvestment. Past policies and projects led to significant racial injustices. This history continues to impact West Oakland residents.

Today, 7th Street has wide lanes, high-speed traffic, truck traffic, and poor lighting. More collisions happen on 7th Street than most streets in Oakland. Victims of crashes on this street are 2-3 times more likely to be Black. Air quality is also worse on 7th Street than other nearby streets. This leads to higher health risks and outcomes for nearby residents.

Click here for the Racial Equity Impact Analysis(PDF, 11MB)

Click here for Oakland's 2024 High Injury Network

The goals of the 7th Street Connection Project are to:

• Improve safety and accessibility for those walking, rolling, and taking the bus
• Improve air quality
• Reflect the rich history of 7th Street through public art

Prior planning and engagement efforts recommended improvements along 7th Street. These plans include:

• 2014 West Oakland Specific Plan
• 2017 Oakland Pedestrian Plan
• Owning Our Air: The West Oakland Community Action Plan (2019), and the
• 2019 Oakland Bike Plan

In 2020, OakDOT staff conducted engagement in preparation for grant applications to fund 7th Street transportation improvements. With funding awarded, the project design kicked off and engagement restarted in 2023. The project team aimed to get feedback from people who live, work, go to school, and spend time on 7th Street. They visited schools, businesses, and affordable housing developments. They distributed over twelve hundred door hangers. They also presented at meetings, tabled at local events, and distributed a survey. A summary of this engagement can be found in the Fall and Winter '23 Engagement Report(PDF, 13MB).

In Spring and Summer 2024, the project team conducted more engagement to ask about trees, landscaping, art, and lighting. The project team presented at community meetings and tabled at events. They also visited businesses along 7th Street and distributed a project survey. A summary of this engagement can be found in the Spring and Summer '24 Engagement Report(PDF, 8MB). 

This project is funded by the the United Stated Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Earmark, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC), and the Active Transportation Program (ATP).