Pandemic Safety: Reconfiguration of Downtown Corridors

Pandemic Safety: Reconfiguration of Downtown Corridors

Cost: $250k+

Role: Principal Engineer for the City of Alameda 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Statewide restrictions on indoor dining, City of Alameda, including City Council, business districts, and City staff, responded by initiating a "Commercial Streets" program to support the health and safety of all those visiting Alameda. A major part of this program included reconfiguring the two downtown corridors of Alameda --Park Street and Webster Street by taking them from four-lane corridors down to two-lane downtowns.  In order to achieve this, the existing parking lane was shifted to the first travel lane and the existing sidewalk width was extended to take over the existing parking lane. This road diet narrowed the core segments of these two streets to one lane in each direction. Engineering and Planning staff worked together to engage businesses, transit agencies, consultants, contractors, and others to ensure the project was successful and completed on a very tight schedule.