City of Oakland Breaks Ground on Lakeshore Ave Safety Project
Published on July 25, 2025
Oakland, CA – Today, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, City leaders, and the family of Maia Correia announced the groundbreaking of the $5.4M Lakeshore Separated Bike Lanes Project which will bring comprehensive safety, mobility, and access improvements to Lakeshore Avenue from E18th Street to El Embarcadero.
This project will deliver on OakDOT’s commitment to expediently construct safety improvements on Lakeshore Avenue in the wake of a fatal collision. In August of 2023 Maia Correia, a 4-year-old girl, was tragically killed on Lakeshore Avenue while biking with her father. In response, this project will add a fully separated bike lane, which will be protected from vehicles by raised concrete barriers. The project will also improve safety for pedestrians walking across Lakeshore to access Lake Merritt and install transit reliability improvements to improve access for people taking transit to this regional recreational destination.
“We continue to grieve the death of Maia and honor her life and the lives of all children by installing safe infrastructure for Oaklanders of all ages. This is life saving work, and while we wish it were here sooner to prevent Maia’s death, we are committed to making Oakland’s streets safe for all users,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. "Public safety is one of my top priorities and let me remind you, traffic safety is public safety."
"I'm grateful to Maia's family for their advocacy and persistence amidst such grief. Working together with our broader community, Oakland is paving Lakeshore two years early and adding protected bike lanes to make our streets safer for all," said Nikki Fortunato Bas, Alameda County Supervisor, District 5.
“This protected bike lane would not have been possible without the heroic advocacy of Maia’s family, who turned tragedy into action,” said Oakland District 2 City Councilmember, Charlene Wang. “Paint alone is not protection. We can make Oakland a true bike city—but only if everyone, from kids to seniors, is safe riding on our streets. That starts with protected bike lanes that separate people from traffic.”
“I’m extremely proud of the OakDOT team, who sprung into action to design this critical safety project in record time,” said Oakland Department of Transportation Director, Josh Rowan. “Thanks to the leadership of our City Council, who kept this project on the front burner and ensured we had the funding to be able to deliver.”
"Maia lived for exactly 4 years, 2 months and one week in this world, but she continues to live in our hearts forever," said Hydeh Ghaffari, Maia Correia's grandmother. "We owe our sincere thanks for the guidance and support we have received from Traffic Violence Rapid Response, a great group of volunteers who work every day to make Oakland safer for pedestrians and bikers, and to Bike East Bay, a great nonprofit organization that advocates for safe streets and thriving communities where people come first. They have shown us how to be powerful and respectful advocates for transportation safety."
This project is funded by Oakland’s Measure KK Housing and Infrastructure Bond Funding, as well as Alameda County’s Measure BB Transportation Sales Tax. Measure KK calls for the City of Oakland to upgrade our infrastructure while advancing the goals of safety and equity. The Lakeshore Separated Bike Lanes Project delivers on this promise to Oakland voters by providing a high-quality separated two-way bikeway on Lakeshore Avenue which will connect Oaklanders around Lake Merritt, alleviate crowding on the existing sidewalks and pathways around the Lake, and safely open the Lake to all users.
This project will connect to other projects under construction and in development by OakDOT, including the Lakeside Family Streets Project (under construction), the Lakeside Dr/Lake Merritt Blvd Complete Streets Paving Project (construction expected in 2026), and the Grand Avenue Complete Streets Paving Project (construction expected in 2026). These projects will create a welcoming network of safe, calm streets around Lake Merritt, the Jewel of Oakland.
OakDOT conducted a public outreach process and engaged specific stakeholders around Lake Merritt. Stakeholders included the Cleveland Heights Neighborhood Council, the District 2 and 3 Council Offices, Bike East Bay, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Traffic Violence Rapid Response, and others. OakDOT held three public outreach events around the Lake in April and May of 2024; feedback and comments were collected at these events which were then incorporated into the design.
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About OakDOT
OakDOT is responsible for envisioning, planning, building, operating and maintaining a transportation system for the City of Oakland and assures safe, equitable, and sustainable access and mobility for residents, businesses and visitors. OakDOT’s Strategic Plan guides the department’s work, and is structured around four pillars: Equity, Safety, Sound Infrastructure, and Responsible Governance.
Safe Oakland Streets (SOS) is a Citywide initiative to prevent serious and fatal traffic crashes and eliminate crash inequities on Oakland's streets. We are working across departments and building partnerships with the community to implement the most effective and equitable strategies.