Alamedans urged to email or speak at CTC Meeting on Thursday, October 24
The Oakland Alameda Access Project (OAAP), led by the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), was initiated to improve traveling between Oakland and Alameda via the Webster and Posey Tubes (and the I-880 and I-980 freeways). As it stands, motorists must navigate congested city streets with heavy bottlenecks, long delays, and vehicle-pedestrian bicycle conflicts.
After more than 20 years of collaboration and planning, the project is now nearing the construction phase. Some closures of the Webster and Posey Tubes were expected, but the current plan calls for continuous single-lane closures for up to two years in the Posey Tube (Alameda to Oakland) and eight months in the Webster Tube (Oakland to Alameda), according to a notice issued by West Alameda Business Association (WABA) Executive Director Elissa Glickman.
“City staff, alongside WABA, have raised concerns about how these long-term closures will affect bus riders, drivers, and businesses,” Glickman stated. (Read City Manager Jennifer Ott’s October 1 update to City Council.) “Although experts are reviewing plans and exploring alternatives, the potential impact on businesses during the 18- to 24-month timeline is alarming. There’s no viable rerouting plan, and the Alameda CTC has yet to offer effective transportation alternatives. The lack of transparency with key stakeholders, including business associations, is equally troubling.”
City Manager Jennifer Ott presented an update to City Council on October 1, staff presented an update to the City Council that you can read here, and we will share new information when it becomes available.
Glickman is urging Alameda residents to email or speak at the CTC meeting this Thursday, October 24, at 2 p.m., in person or online. See the complete agenda online. The meeting will be held at 1111 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland (in the Mary V. King Conference Room).
The public also may attend via Zoom. To comment on Zoom, use the “Raise Hand” feature on your phone, tablet or other device during the relevant agenda item, and wait to be recognized by the Chair. Comments made in person or via Zoom will generally be limited to three minutes.
Comments also may be submitted by email to the Clerk of the Commission at [email protected], including the words “Public Comment” and the meeting to which it pertains in the email’s subject line. The deadline for email comments is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23.
Glickman urges commenters to thank the Commission for their collaboration, stress the need to reduce lane closures, share how the project will impact your business or community, and highlight the importance of public engagement.
There will be another meeting on Thursday, December 5. “New commissioners will be present, and we’ll need to keep this issue front and center,” Glickman stressed.
For questions or concerns about construction mitigations, Glickman suggests contacting Abby Thorne-Lyman, Director of Base Reuse and Economic Development, at [email protected].
