Oakland Releases Roadway Design Options for Telegraph Avenue Complete Streets

This document released in April 2014 by the City of Oakland is a comprehensive, detailed look at a proposed Complete Streets implementation for a large section of Telegraph Avenue. It reflects a deeply detailed knowledge of the street, and seeks to address the needs of  transit riders, bicyclists and pedestrians. It is profusely illustrated with great examples of various treatments, tailored to the specific needs and conditions on Telegraph, but easily translatable elsewhere. Here's the introduction:

This report presents a range of Complete Streets options for improving the Telegraph Corridor (primarily from 57th Street to 20th Street, with limited analysis from 57th Street to the Berkeley border). The design options are intended to enhance the vibrancy and livability of the existing business districts and neighborhoods along the corridor. Based on the public feedback received to date as well as the data analysis per formed in Task 1: Existing Conditions Analysis, the project team developed the following materials:

• Purpose Statement: A purpose statement was developed to guide the redesign of Telegraph Avenue to be a more complete and economically vibrant street by improving safety and accessibility of all modes, making the street more comfortable and enjoyable for walking and bicycling, and balancing the needs and convenience of all users. 

• Alternative Roadway Design Options: The project team divided the corridor into three (3) segments and developed three (3) alternative cross sections for each segment, as well as six (6) variations on those alternatives to study bus stop and intersection approach conditions. The project team also produced an ex tended plan view drawing to show how these cross section options could operate and transition along a segment of the corridor. 

• Bus Stop and Transit Options: The project team developed bus stop consolidation recommendations, assessed baseline transit perfoormance, and estimated the change in transit performance associated with proposed multi-modal roadway improvements, including a road diet (i.e., reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes), and transit enhancement features. 

• Pedestrian Crossing Options: The project team developed recommendations for the locations of crosswalks throughout the ex tended corridor (Alcatraz Avenue to 20th Street), and evaluated unsignalized crosswalk improvement options. 

• Streetscape and Urban Design Options: The project team reviewed the 2005 Telegraph Avenue Pedestrian Streetscape Improvement Project and indicated which recommendations to advance and modify to create a more complete street. The project team also developed concepts showing elements of the cross section options in greater detail and with interim implementation strategies.