Telegraph Avenue from 52nd Street to Woolsey Street will be repaved as part of Oakland’s Five-year Paving Plan. This paving work presents an opportunity for the City to integrate design elements that will enhance connectivity and safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.
Safety is a major concern on Telegraph. Between 52nd Street and 55th Street, Telegraph is part of the city’s Multimodal High Injury Network - the 6% of city streets that are responsible for 60% of reported collisions. On the full project corridor, 79 people were injured in crashes between 2017 and 2021. Notably, during the available years of recorded data, one fatality occurred on the project scope corridor.
To increase safety and connectivity on Telegraph, this project will include design elements that slow traffic, provide physical separation between bicycles and vehicles, increase pedestrian visibility, and maintain efficient transit operations.
Potential Safety Improvements Include:
- Protected bike lanes
- Flashing lights at crosswalks
- New and upgraded curb ramps
- Bus boarding islands
History
In December 2014, Oakland City Council adopted the Telegraph Avenue Complete Streets Plan which proposed complete street improvements for Telegraph Avenue. In April 2016, the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) built a pilot project with temporary protected bike lanes from 17th Street to 29th Street as part of a repaving project.
OakDOT leveraged paving projects in 2016 and 2021 to provide temporary improvements between 20th Street and 52nd Street through three project phases -- KONO, Pill Hill/Mosswood, and Temescal. This Telegraph Avenue Paving Project will build on these past projects by extending complete streets improvements all the way to the Berkeley border.
For a more detailed history, including evaluations of the projects, visit the Telegraph Avenue Corridor Improvements page.
