Road construction continues around Alameda, as anyone who drives can easily see. One of the latest changes of the Central Avenue Safety Project [1] is traffic signal upgrades, according to the City of Alameda.
[2]Traffic signal improvements will be taking place at the intersections of Central Avenue and Eighth Street, Central Avenue and Webster Street, and Central Avenue at Sherman Street/Encinal Avenue.
These changes will take place over the next few weeks, the City has announced. Some of the more noticeable changes and those with the biggest safety impacts are at the following intersections:
Central Avenue and Eighth Street
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- Dedicated right-turn signal (and lane) on the eastbound-right-turn approach.
- Protected left turns (and dedicated left-turn lanes) on all four approaches.
- A new bike signal for the eastbound approach.
- Video detection for bikes (eliminating the need to press the pedestrian push button).
Central Avenue and Webster Street
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- Dedicated left-turn lanes for eastbound and westbound approaches.
- Video detection for bikes.
Central Avenue and Sherman Street/Encinal Avenue
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- Accessible pedestrian signal heads and pedestrian push buttons.
- Video detection for bikes.
- More efficient timing.
These changes are scheduled to be completed by late summer.
Expect delays while the work at the intersections is ongoing. Impacts will include placing the signals on flashing red or turning them off and temporarily converting the intersections to stop signs controlled by flaggers. If a signal is flashing red or off, always treat it as an all-way stop.
[4]About the Central Avenue Safety Project
The Central Avenue Safety Project is designed to improve safety for all street users—including vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists—and to reduce vehicle delays. It includes a roadway reconfiguration with two motor vehicle travel lanes, a two-way left-turn lane as a center lane, and bikeways, as well as enhanced pedestrian crossings, improved bus stops, pavement resurfacing, and street trees/rain gardens. Visit the City’s Central Avenue Safety Project [1] webpage for more information.
It includes building roundabouts at Main Street / Pacific Avenue / Central Avenue, Third Street / Taylor Avenue / Central Avenue, Fourth Street / Ballena Avenue / Central Avenue. Roundabouts are designed to reduce the types of crashes where people are seriously hurt or killed by up to 78% when compared to signalized intersections, according to federal data. To learn more, visit the City of Alameda Roundabouts [5] webpage.
This project is funded by Measure B/BB, Alameda County’s transportation sales tax [6] and the following federal grants: US EPA San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund, Active Transportation Program, Congestion Management & Air Quality/Surface Transportation Program, and One Bay Area Grant – OBAG3.
Do you need assistance?
The City of Alameda posted the following list of contacts on its website:
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For construction questions or concerns:
Please contact Heba Masri (Assistant Resident Engineer) at [email protected] [7] or 408-621-8527, and Michaela Wood (Assistant Engineer) at [email protected] [8] or 510-381-8963.
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For immediate assistance within the work zone during working hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to p.m.):
Please contact the Project Inspector, Peiman Moghadam, at 650-483-6455.
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For 24-hour emergency assistance:
Please contact the contractor representative, Jason Miniello (Contractor Project Manager) at 925-818-6992 or Earle Cyr (Project Superintendent) at 925-334-6955.