Southside Complete Streets Project

The Southside neighborhood has some of the highest pedestrian, bike, and transit activity in the City, as per the Pedestrian Plan, Bike Plan, and Strategic Transportation Plan. There have been several gaps in the existing transportation network, such as incomplete bicycle facilities and pedestrian crossings with significant exposure to vehicles, that affected the comfort, safety, and usability by bicyclists and pedestrians. In addition, transit reliability has been challenging due to the high number of buses and relatively slow speeds.

The Southside Complete Streets project addresses these issues with facilities that encourage people of all ages and abilities to utilize walking, biking, and transit. Project improvements include the following:

• Two-way cycletracks for bicycles, which are bikeways in the roadway that are separated from vehicular traffic by concrete curbs, parked cars, or a combination, at the following locations:
  • Bancroft Way, south side (Piedmont Avenue to Milvia Street)
  • Fulton Street, east side (Bancroft Way to Dwight Way)
  • Dana Street, west side (Bancroft Way to Dwight Way)
• Pedestrian crossing improvements in the form of a raised crosswalk at the Bancroft-to-Fulton slip ramp, a raised intersection at the Bancroft-Telegraph intersection, new higher-visibility crosswalk markings throughout the project limits, and accessible curb ramps at specifically-evaluated locations.
• Traffic signal improvements throughout the project limits, including separate signal phases for bikes/peds versus vehicles, improved visual detection equipment, new signals at the Bancroft/Barrow intersection, and signal prioritization for buses along Bancroft.
• Bus-only lanes on Bancroft, from College to Shattuck: the portion of Bancroft with the highest bus volumes.

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.

Construction 

Construction started in December 2023 and ended in August 2025. Most of the work occurred from December 2023 - October 2024, with remaining traffic signal and landscaping work occurring after that time.

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.