Southside Complete Streets Project

The project goals are to:

• Ensure safety for everyone walking, riding bicycles, riding transit, or driving, consistent with the City of Berkeley Vision Zero traffic safety policy.
• Improve transit reliability and travel times consistent with the City of Berkeley General Plan Transportation Element Policy T-4 “Transit-First.”
• Support the economic and cultural vitality of Berkeley’s Southside neighborhood consistent with the Economic Development goals of the City of Berkeley Southside Plan.

In general, the project will construct the following:

• Bancroft Way (Piedmont Avenue to Milvia Street): Concrete curb-protected cycletrack for bicyclists on the south side of Bancroft, with one general purpose westbound lane from Piedmont to Shattuck and two general purpose lanes (one westbound and one eastbound) from Shattuck to Milvia, and a transit lane (College to Shattuck).

• Fulton Street (Bancroft Way to Dwight Way): Concrete curb-protected cycletrack for bicyclists on the east side of Fulton, two general purpose lanes (one southbound and one northbound) from Bancroft to Durant, one general purpose lane in the southbound direction from Durant to Dwight, and on-street parking on the west side where feasible.

• Dana Street (Bancroft Way to Dwight Way): Concrete curb-protected cycletrack for bicyclists on the west side of Dana, one general purpose southbound lane (Bancroft to Dwight), maintaining a bus boarding island and associated bus-only zone (on Dana at Haste) that AC Transit will install as part of its Dana Complete Street Pilot Project.

Construction Schedule

The tentative construction schedule for Southside Complete streets is below. It is subject to change due to inclement weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

Phase 1 (December 2023 – March 2024): North side of Bancroft (Piedmont to Shattuck); Fulton (Bancroft to Dwight).

Please be aware of the following conditions on this portion of Bancroft during Phase 1 work:     

• North side of street will be closed.   
• Two vehicle lanes will remain open along the south half of the street.   
• Temporary removal of on-street parking along both sides of street. 
• Temporary closure of Fulton slip lane and closure of northbound Fulton (Durant to Bancroft). Refer to detour plan for more information.   
• Temporary closures and relocations of selected bus stops for construction of bus pads.     
• Waste and recycling operations will continue on the same schedule.   
• Temporary rerouting of bike lanes to Channing.   
• Temporary loading zone along north side of street, between Telegraph and Sather Lane.

Construction notifications for Phase 1 have been delivered to all addresses along the project corridor.

Phase 2 (April 2024 – May 2024):  Middle portion of Bancroft (Piedmont to Dana); south side of Bancroft (Dana to Milvia); Fulton; Dana.   

Phase 3 (June 2024 – September 2024): South side of Bancroft (Piedmont to Dana); south side of Bancroft (Dana to Milvia); Fulton; Dana.   

Phase 4 (October 2024 – December 2024): Final paving of all lanes, pavement markings, signage, and utility access work.

Funding source

The total project cost is approximately $16.5 million, of which almost $13 million is allocated for construction work.

The project is funded in large part by an $8,335,000 Federal-aid grant from Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Of this grant, $1 million is allocated for preliminary engineering, environmental complains, and detailed design. The remaining $7,335,000 of the grant is for construction of transportation improvements.

Other sources of funding include the University of California Settlement Fund, Alameda County Measure BB (Local Streets & Roads) Fund, City of Berkeley General Fund, and City of Berkeley Capital Improvements Fund.

Public outreach

Community engagement activities conducted between October 2021 and February 2022 are listed below, under Past Events.  A summary of the project team's approach to community engagement is provided below under Documents.