Oakland To Make Historic Investment into Pedestrian Infrastructure

Published on July 17, 2025

Oakland, CA – Today, Mayor Barbara Lee announced a settlement agreement that will result in an historic investment into the City's pedestrian rights of way during the next 25 years, in order to ensure Oakland’s pedestrian rights of ways are accessible to people with mobility disabilities. Under the terms of the agreement, the City will commit to: 

  • Construction or retrofit of approximately 11,000 curb ramps within the next 15 years and improving all remaining curb ramp locations to meet current access standards within 25 years
  • Ensure remediation of 78,000 known locations of sidewalk damage within 25 years
  • Continuation of the City’s Access Request Program, prioritizing requests for curb ramp and sidewalk repairs from persons with disabilities
  • Prioritization of construction consistent with equity considerations to ensure the accessibility work benefits the City’s underserved populations 

The City has already taken multiple steps to begin implementation of this agreement. This week, Oakland City Council approved an expansion of the existing Sidewalk Assistance Program which supports low-income property owners in making sidewalk repairs. The adopted FY25-27 Capital Improvement Program increases investment for the Curb Ramp and Sidewalks capital programs. Additional staff positions included in the adopted FY25-27 budget will be necessary to implement the construction milestones and inspection requirements for the improved program. Finally, Oakland’s Buy-Sell-Repair program will undergo major improvements in the next two years to deepen enforcement and bring about greater citywide compliance. Improvements will include an enforcement database and non-compliance notification system and later, the anticipated introduction of fines for non-compliance.    

 

"Oakland is strengthening our efforts to ensure people with disabilities, seniors, and parents with strollers have equal access to our transportation network. This work will take time, but we're committed to making our sidewalks accessible to everyone in our community,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.

 

"Sidewalks are one of the most important pieces of Oakland's transportation network, and it's essential that they're kept well-maintained and accessible for everyone," said OakDOT Director, Josh Rowan. "OakDOT looks forward to delivering on our commitments to people with mobility disabilities and everyone who uses our sidewalks."

 

To measure progress, the City of Oakland will produce annual reports including construction milestones. The settlement will be subject to court approval. A final approval hearing is scheduled for early December.  

 

Learn more about sidewalk programs here: https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Streets/Sidewalks  

 

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