Adeline Street Overhead Bridge Seismic Retrofit

The Adeline Street Bridge is located along Adeline Street, just south of its intersection with 3rd Street in West Oakland. Constructed in 1978, it spans Union Pacific Railroad tracks and serves as a critical freight and passenger corridor linking the Port of Oakland (Port) marine terminals and intermodal yard to Interstate 880 and the regional highway system. A significant portion of Port truck traffic uses Adeline Street daily, making the bridge essential to regional goods movement.  

Caltrans inspections have rated the bridge in poor condition, and structural evaluations confirmed significant seismic vulnerabilities. To address these risks, the City of Oakland (City) secured Federal Highway Bridge Program funds to design and implement a seismic retrofit.  

Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. was selected through a competitive process to serve as the Engineer of Record for the seismic retrofit design of the Adeline Street Bridge. The retrofit will bring the structure to a “no-collapse” performance standard, ensuring the bridge remains operational following a major earthquake and safeguarding the continuity of rail and port operations.

The project design is complete, and all required environmental clearances and permits have been obtained. In 2022, Caltrans approved the construction phase of the project and obligated a grant of federal funds. The City has accepted and appropriated these federal grant funds from Caltrans. 

The proposed work consists, in general, of seismic retrofit of Adeline Street Bridge, including wrapping columns with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP), retrofitting the connections between abutments and bridge deck, thickening concrete foundation for 2 columns, bridge joint replacement, bridge removal (portion), joint seal assembly, structure (excavation & backfill), spall repair, railing chain, fencing, minor concrete curb & gutter, sidewalk, asphalt concrete pavement, roadway excavation, lighting/ Electric work, environmental protection, and traffic control system. Construction activities are anticipated to commence in Summer 2026. 

The City of Oakland wishes to thank Adeline Street Bridge users in advance for their patience and cooperation as we work to enhance and strengthen this critical transportation corridor in the West Oakland Neighborhood to better withstand future earthquakes.