8th Street Corridor Improvements
- Project TypeTransportation
- Project StatusStarted
Improving safety, accessibility, and connectivity from Lake Merritt BART, through the heart of Chinatown, and to Old Oakland.
Sign up for email updates
About
Background
8th Street in Chinatown and Old Oakland is a street of historical, cultural, and current significance. The project team sought to better understand the history of the neighborhoods and existing socioeconomic and transportation disparities. To do this, they conducted a Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA). This REIA outlines how history has shaped the project area communities. It also describes how the project addresses existing disparities.
Click here to read the 8th Street Racial Equity Impact Analysis(PDF, 5MB)
Project Scope
This project will improve safety, accessibility, and connectivity on 8th Street between Fallon Street and MLK Jr. Way. The project scope includes:
- Improving safety at pedestrian crossings by:
- Removing one vehicle lane to provide pedestrian space, diagonal parking, and/or ADA passenger and commercial loading zonesInstalling wayfinding signage and pedestrian lighting
- Adding new amenities such as bike racks, trash cans, and street trees (where possible)
- Daylighting intersections and driveways to improve sight lines
- Upgrading existing pedestrian scrambles
- Adding a new pedestrian scramble at the intersection of 8th Street and Harrison Street
- Adding a traffic signal at 8th Street and Alice Street
- Adding bulb outs to shorten crossing distances
- Removing sidewalk tripping hazards
- Removing one vehicle lane to provide pedestrian space, diagonal parking, and/or ADA passenger and commercial loading zones
- Installing wayfinding signage and pedestrian lighting
- Adding new amenities such as bike racks, trash cans, and street trees (where possible)
This project is currently in the design phase.
Past Engagement and Outcomes
Several prior planning efforts have called for improvements on 8th Street. These include:
The Chinatown Complete Streets Plan team conducted community engagement in 2023 and 2024 to inform the development of the plan. Community members identified 8th Street as a priority for transportation improvements.
The project team conducted engagement to guide the initial project concepts and to ensure that the scope is aligned with community priorities. This engagement was conducted between December 2023 to October 2024. There were some joint engagement activities with the Chinatown Complete Streets Plan team. During this time, the project team focused on talking to people who live, work, and/or shop on or near the 8th Street project corridor. They also talked to organizations that service Chinatown residents and businesses. They received the highest number of comments related to curb management, bike facilities, maintenance, personal safety, and intersection safety.
The next round of community engagement will take place in Summer 2025. It will build upon the feedback that the project team has already gathered. Stay tuned for more information, and please sign up for email updates.
Page last updated May 8, 2025