July 2024

Welcome to the latest edition of Alameda County Transportation Commission's eNews newsletter! Read on to learn more about our progress to deliver projects and programs, engage the residents of Alameda County in important work to shape the future of our transportation system, and the work we are doing to exceed the highest levels of fiscal accountability and responsibility. We hope you enjoy this read and have a great summer!

Public input sought to help shape the future of Alameda County's transportation system

Public input is needed to help shape the future of the county’s transportation system.

The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) has kicked off the next update to the Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP). The CTP is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of the county’s transportation system. The projects and strategies recommended in the Plan will aim to encourage safer, equitable, climate-resilient, and economically vibrant communities throughout the county.

We are currently drafting the goals and objectives for the CTP, and we need your input to do it. Please go here to answer a few questions to inform the CTP, learn more, and join our mailing list. Public participation is a critical part of Alameda CTC’s commitment to equity and inclusion. 

Alameda CTC awards $11.5 million in grants to enhance transportation services for older adults and people with disabilities

Paratransit grants were made possible by Alameda County’s Measure BB sales tax. 

This summer, Alameda CTC approved $11.5 million dollars in grants to 14 Alameda County nonprofit and government agencies providing paratransit programs for older adults and people with disabilities. The grants will support transportation services that improve users’ access to services, further coordination between existing programs, and address gaps in our transportation system. Funding for the awards is made possible through the 2014 voter-approved Measure BB transportation sales tax.

The grants are funding paratransit projects and programs over a five-year period beginning with the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Alameda CTC’s Measure BB Transportation Expenditure Plan allocates a large portion of Measure BB sales tax revenues—10% of net revenues—to paratransit programs. Grants support operations for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-mandated services and city paratransit programs as well as these discretionary grants. 

Award recipients participated in a competitive application process and requests exceeded funding availability. Once applications were vetted for meeting minimum technical requirements, Alameda CTC’s Paratransit Advisory and Planning Committee (PAPCO), an all consumer-based community advisory committee, reviewed the submissions and approved formal funding recommendations. The recommendations were then reviewed and approved by Alameda CTC Commissioners. To learn more about Alameda CTC’s paratransit program, please visit our webpage.

Advances on 7th Street East Port of Oakland Improvement Project made

Construction workers excavate 7th Street’s road median.

This summer marks the start of major work to relocate Union Pacific Railroad track as a key element of the 7th Street Grade Separation East (7SGSE) Project, an effort to modernize a key route 40 percent of trucks use to access the Port of Oakland. Located on 7th Street between Interstate 880 and Maritime Street, the current railroad underpass is more than 90 years old and fails to meet today’s standards for truck clearance and ADA sidewalk access. 

Other recent 7SGSE project activities completed this past spring include installing the first phase of storm drain improvements and relocating infrastructure for several utilities. Construction for the deep soil mix retaining wall, which will further stabilize the project’s foundation, has also begun. During this phase, 7th Street will remain open and continue to provide two lanes for travel in each direction.

When complete, the project will deliver benefits that include: congestion relief; better safety conditions; enhanced reliability of goods movement; higher quality options for active transportation including a new connection with the San Francisco Bay Trail and Middle Harbor Shoreline Park; and a landscaped bicycle and pedestrian pathway that incorporates a community-desired green feature.

The 7SGSE Project is part of the Global Opportunities at the Port of Oakland (GoPort) transportation improvement efforts. Work for 7SGSE started in the Fall of 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2027. To learn more about the 7SGSE Project and other GoPort efforts, please visit our webpage.

San Pablo Avenue Bus Lanes and Bike Lanes Project completes public input phase

Map of the San Pablo Avenue Bus Lanes and Bike Lanes Project. 

One of three projects to improve safety and access for all forms of transportation along San Pablo Avenue, the San Pablo Avenue Bus Lanes and Bike Lanes Project recently reached an important milestone, completing another round of in-depth public engagement.

Throughout this past spring, project planners led a comprehensive public engagement effort to solicit input on detailed designs, including two open houses, more than 20 tabling pop ups along the route, door to door outreach with businesses along the project corridor, and multiple stakeholder listening sessions led by local nonprofit partners. Efforts also included developing a dedicated website where visitors could view a block-by-block map of the project and tag exact locations with their comments. 

San Pablo Avenue traverses several cities including Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley and Albany and is one of the most accessed corridors in Alameda County. San Pablo Avenue has one of the highest rates of bicycle and pedestrian collisions in the county, and the corridor is the second busiest route for AC Transit users. To improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians as well as transit reliability, the Bus Lanes and Bike Lanes Project has proposed a dedicated bus lane and protected bike lane in each direction of the road along with pedestrian crossing upgrades in Oakland, Emeryville, and South Berkeley.

More information about all three San Pablo Avenue transportation projects can be found on the projects’ webpage.

Alameda CTC continues to meet highest levels of financial accountability

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.

Alameda CTC enters second decade of financial reporting excellence recognition

For the 11th year in a row, Alameda CTC has been recognized for its excellence in financial reporting for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA.) This award, the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. 

Award attainment represents a significant accomplishment and means Alameda CTC’s most recent Annual Comprehensive Financial Report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the GFOA program’s high standards. This includes demonstrating a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to clearly communicate the agency’s financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.

Alameda CTC has an outstanding track record with regard to fiscal leadership and financial transparency. In addition to receiving the GFOA award for eleven consecutive years, the agency maintains a record of one hundred percent clean audits since its inception in 2010. To learn more about Alameda CTC’s ACFR, please visit our website page.

Agency bond ratings affirmed at highest level possible

This past April, Fitch Ratings affirmed Alameda CTC’s Measure BB Senior Sales Tax Revenue Bonds (Limited Tax Bonds) series 2022, the highest rating possible. The AAA rating reflects the minimal debt to revenue ratio maintained, limited additional borrowing plans, and the strong legal protections put in place by Alameda CTC on the bonds as well as the county’s wealthy, diverse and growing economy. 

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