Traffic is about to slow down or stop along part of Central Avenue this week. Paving between Lincoln Avenue and Main Street/Pacific Avenue is scheduled to take place starting today through Wednesday, June 8 – 10.
[1]No Parking signs will be posted and enforced. And, of course, traffic is likely to be slower than normal, and probably stopped for a few minutes at a time while the operations take place, according to a notice issued by the City. Those conditions will continue until the pavement is safe to drive on.
Residents and businesses whose driveway access will be impacted during paving will be notified directly.
The new roundabout at Central Avenue/Main Street Pacific Avenue will open once paving is complete and the contractor determines it is safe to do so. Temporary lane markers will be in place for a few weeks following paving, until permanent striping can be installed.
Change to Alameda Point detour
While this paving project is taking place, cars heading toward the ferry or elsewhere on Alameda Point will be directed from Central Avenue onto Third Street, then to Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway(RAMP)/Atlantic Avenue.
Cars leaving Alameda Point will also need to take Atlantic Avenue/RAMP instead of Oriskany Avenue.
The pedestrian connection from Central Avenue to Oriskany Avenue will be maintained.
Coming next: Traffic signal improvements
Expect to see improvements to the traffic signals at:
- Central Avenue and Webster Street.
- Central Avenue and Eighth Street.
- Central Avenue and Sherman Street.
Improvements will include more efficient timing, dedicated turn signals, a bike signal, and accessible pedestrian signals.
Expect delays while the work at those intersections is ongoing. Impacts will include placing the signals on flashing red or temporarily converting the intersections to stop signs controlled with flaggers.
About the Central Avenue Project
The Central Avenue project [2] is designed to improve safety for all street users and 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, in addition to enhanced pedestrian crossings, improved bus stops, pavement resurfacing, and street trees/rain gardens. It includes constructing roundabouts at Main Street/Pacific Avenue/Central Avenue, Third Street/Taylor Avenue/Central Avenue, and Fourth Street/Ballena Boulevard/Central Avenue.
Roundabouts [3] reduce the types of crashes in which people are seriously inured or killed by up to 78% when compared to signalized intersections, according to federal data.
This project is funded by Measure B/BB, Alameda County’s transportation sales tax [4] 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.