Repave/Redesign of Telegraph – starting March 2, 2020

Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) has announced that the construction for the Telegraph Ave paving and redesign will start March  2nd, 2020. In December 2018, the Repair Telegraph Ave. finalized design proposed by OakDOT staff was approved by Oakland City Council. The approved redesign of Telegraph Ave. between West MacArthur and 52nd St (aka Repair Telegraph) includes a road diet, parking protected bike lanes and a pedestrian plaza on Shattuck Ave. between 45th and 46th St.

June 15 Update: Construction of the seven bus boarding islands on Telegraph between 51st Street and West MacArthur Blvd has been completed, and the bus stops are all operational. Remaining work includes installing mid-block curb cuts for loading zones, additional signage, and the striping of parking spaces along Telegraph of areas that seved as temporary bus stops during the bus boarding island construction work.
May 21 Update: The material needed to continue construction on the bus stops was delivered the week of May 10th. On May 17th, the contractor restarted work on the unfinished bus stop at the Southwest corner of West MacArthur and Telegraph, and is continuing work on the bus stops from 40th St, working northbound until 51st. The hole beneath the sidewalk at 5020 Telegraph Ave has been filled with a concrete slurry, and the sidewalk has been repaired.
March 26 Update: The yellow loading, green 12-minute, blue ADA and additional customer parking spaces on commercial side streets adjacent to Telegraph have been painted. Some of these spaces will be metered, to ensure availability for customers, and some will not, to provide accessible parking for employees. The intersection signals along Telegraph have been retimed, to ensure smooth and safe traffic flow along the corridor.
March 15 Update: The cat tracking (or temporary markings) for the planned yellow loading, green 12-minute, blue ADA and metered parking spaces on commercial side streets adjacent to Telegraph, has been approved by the City, and permanent painting of those spaces will occur this week. The City is pouring the concrete to complete the bus stop island today at West MacArthur and Telegraph at Carl’s Jr. The City is still waiting for materials for the remaining 6 redesigned bus stop islands, and for the signals in order to proceed with bus stop island construction, and the retiming of the signals along Telegraph.
February 23 Update: The construction of seven new raised bus stops was paused, due to storm drain design issues that were identified mid-construction. The City identified a design solution for the bus island inlets leading to the storm drains, and have ordered new materials. When the new materials arrive in two weeks, the City’s contractor plans to restart construction on the bus stops and also restart work on the sidewalk repair at 5020 Telegraph Ave. The City has marked out the planned mid-block curb cuts adjacent to the loading zones at 4875 and 4923 Telegraph Ave, and the contractor will install them when bus stop construction resumes. The installation of the new signal infrastructure at 45th St is ongoing; none of the signals along Telegraph have been re-timed. AT&T repaired their outdated maintenance hole on the North side of the pedestrian plaza, and the City installed K-71s at the South end of the plaza at 45th St.
January 26 Update: The concrete curbs of the sidewalk, bike lane and the nearest raised curb of the bus boarding islands, have been poured for the bus boarding islands on the Eastern side of Telegraph at West MacArthur, 40th, and 45th. The contractor is breaking out and removing the adjacent street and sidewalk where the corresponding bus boarding islands will be installed on the Western side of Telegraph. Once the demolition work is complete, and the weather is clear, the contractor will then build forms, and pour the curb and bike lane concrete areas for the remaining four bus stops on the Western side of Telegraph Ave.
January 12 Update: The pedestrian plaza on Shattuck between 45th and 46th St was delineated with paint, planters and signs today!  The installation of paint to mark yellow loading, green 12-minute and blue ADA parking spaces along Telegraph is ongoing, and expected to be completed this week. The cat tracking to mark the parking types on the adjacent side streets will be installed the week of January 12th, with the final striping installation shortly thereafter.
Construction on the bus boarding islands started the week of January 4th. All the bus boarding island location have been prepped, and work has begun on the bus boarding islands at Telegraph and West MacArthur Blvd first. Once those are completed, they will work their way northbound on Telegraph to complete a total of seven bus stops.
December 21 Update: The City is working to fill the large cavity discovered under the sidewalk at 5020 Telegraph Ave. They have started investigative work to finalize how they plan to fix it, and have temporarily blocked off the pedestrian access at that location while the sidewalk is opened up. To fix the cavity, the City will create a concrete retaining wall below ground, next to the adjacent building, backfill the cavity with dirt, and then install a new sidewalk section on top. The work is estimated to take 2-3 weeks.
December 17 Update: The contractor is installing the cat-tracking starting on Friday, December 18th to mark the parking types (yellow, green, etc). The City plans to review and approve the cat tracking the week of December 21st, and install the paint to mark parking types and delineate the pedestrian plaza before December 31, 2020.
November 13 Update: Installation of the striping and bollards to mark the new street design on Telegraph from 51st to above 52nd is completed. The painting of yellow loading zones, as well as green and disabled parking spaces on Telegraph Ave. will start Monday, November 30th. When the work to mark the types of parking is completed, the City will then start work to install new metered parking spaces on adjacent commercial streets. Infrastructure work on signals will begin Monday, November 30 and will take 2-3 weeks to complete, after which the signals will be retimed.

Construction on the bus boarding islands will begin December 16th and is scheduled to be completed by January 20. The contractor will construct the bus boarding islands at Telegraph and West MacArthur Blvd first, and then work their way northbound on Telegraph to complete a total of seven bus stops. The City has received a quote for the pedestrian plaza on Shattuck Ave and the contractor will commence work after Thanksgiving.
October 26 Update: Installation of the striping on Telegraph from 51st to above 52nd is ongoing. The paint marking the Green bike lane and bus-only lane between 51st and 52nd Northbound was installed today. The contract has been signed and consultants have started work to re-time all the signals on Telegraph from West MacArthur Blvd to 52nd St.
October 12: The approved striping on Telegraph from 51st to above 52nd will be installed starting this week.
September 1st Update: The cat tracking on Telegraph from 51st to above 52nd has been approved by the city. That striping work has been combined into one “package” along with the striping and signage work to delineate the pedestrian plaza on Shattuck between 45th and 46th St, and the installation of paint to mark yellow loading, green 12-minute and blue ADA parking spaces along Telegraph and the adjacent side streets. The updated designs for that “package” will be sent to the contractor this week, and work to complete those tasks will begin shortly thereafter. The meters along Telegraph are being moved to align with the locations of the new parking spaces. The installation of additional meters around the corners (in front of commercial areas only) to replace lost parking will start, after work on the Telegraph Ave meters has been completed.
The plans for the seven bus boarding islands are being updated. Once finalized the contractor will install seven concrete bus boarding islands along Telegraph at West MacArthur, 40th, 45th, and one at 51st. The contract is being finalized to retime the signals all along Telegraph Ave, the length of the project (37th to 52nd St.)
August 11th Update: The permanent striping and K-71 bollards have been installed on Telegraph from 37th to 51st St. Rubber speed bumps have been installed at corner intersections, and green paint has been applied to conflict zones (intersections) to delineate the route for bikes, along the parking protected bike lane. Next part of construction will be installation of the cement bus boarding islands, and the retiming of signals at the 45th, 50th, and 51st intersections along Telegraph Ave.
The cat tracking on Telegraph from 51st to above 52nd is still being reviewed by the city. Once approved, the permanent striping will extend to just North of the 52nd and Telegraph intersection, clearly marking where and how traffic should transition between the two street designs. Note: Telegraph Ave north of 52nd St has two travel lanes in each direction with a center turning lane (no bike lane). Below 52nd is largely one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane, and parking protected bike lane.
July 30th Update: The cat tracking on Telegraph from 43rd to 51st has been approved, and so the contractor will continue installing the permanent striping on Telegraph, working northbound from the permanent striping already installed 37th to 43rd all the way to the 51st Street intersection. When the contractor reaches 45th St, Shattuck Ave from 45th to 46th will be blocked off to cars to delineate a pedestrian plaza area (bikes allowed through) with striping, bollards, and signage.
July 27th Update: The city has been reviewing, adjusting and approving the temporary cat tracking along Telegraph Ave in Temescal. The cat tracking on Telegraph from 37th to 43rd has been approved, and this week, the contractor will install the permanent striping on that section, starting at 37th. On Telegraph between 20th and 29th (Koreatown/Northgate District), the subcontractor has completed installation of the K71 bollards and installation of rubber speedbumps at the corner intersections.
July 13th Update: The city is currently reviewing the temporary cat tracking that was installed along Telegraph from 36th St to 51st St. Once the City approves the work, the contractor will return to install the permanent striping, starting sometime next week (week of July 20th). On Telegraph between 20th and 29th (Koreatown/Northgate District), the subcontractor is installing crosswalks and laying out the locations for k71 bollards.
July 1st Update: All layers of asphalt have been on  installed on Telegraph Ave., 36th to 51st St. This week, the contractor is installing cat tracking to mark the exact locations for permanent striping (including bus boarding island, bike lanes, and pedestrian refuges) for Telegraph, which will then be reviewed by city staff, before the approval and final striping installation.
June 22nd Update: The final top coat of asphalt is being installed on Telegraph Ave, with expected completion of this Phase 2 of 3 in the repaving construction plan, by June 26th. At the completion of Phase 2, temporary lane markers will be installed on the street (delineating the current lanes, not the finalized street design). After the completion of the new asphalt installation, the contractors will construct seven bus boarding islands along Telegraph, at West MacArthur, 40th St, 45th St., and 51st St. Then the finalized car and bike lanes will be striped, bollards installed, and the curb colors will be painted to mark the different types of parking. The KONO bike lanes will also receive upgrades to the existing bike lanes at that time, including new larger bollards, and increased sight-lines at corners.
June 16th Update: Repaving work has been completed on all outside lanes of Telegraph Ave from 38th-51st Southbound and Northbound. The contractor is now working on the middle lanes.
June 3rd Update: The milling and new pavement installation on Telegraph Avenue from 37th St to 52nd St is scheduled to begin the week of June 8th and be completed in 2-3 weeks. Residents and businesses should anticipate various no parking restrictions, partial road closures, and detours while this major operation is conducted. Two-way traffic will be maintained along Telegraph Ave every day throughout the paving.

Construction will occur in the following order:
  1. Grinding and paving will begin on the Northbound outer lanes (the travel lane closest to the curb & parking lane on the East side of Telegraph), beginning at 37th St and working northbound to 52nd St. While they are milling and installing pavement, there will be no parking on the East side of Telegraph, in that particular section.
  2. Then, grinding and paving will begin on the Southbound outer lanes (the travel lane closest to the curb & parking lane on the West side of Telegraph), beginning at 52nd St and working southbound to 37th St. While they are milling and installing pavement, there will be no parking on the West side of Telegraph, in that particular section.
  3. Then, grinding and paving will be performed on the inside travel lanes and center turn lane. During this time, most parking will be permitted on both sides of Telegraph Ave.
  4. Finally, temporary lane markers will be installed on the street (delineating the current lanes, not the lanes for the finalized street design).

Additional details on city website here.

June 1st Update: The contractor has completed the concrete demolition and repair work on the Western sidewalk of Telegraph from 52nd St to 44th St. Concrete demolition and repair work is underway on the Telegraph Ave Western sidewalk, from 43rd St- 38th St, with expected completion of the sidewalk concrete work by June 8th (weather pending, with no utility complications).

May 25th Update: The contractor has completed the concrete demolition and repair work on the Western sidewalk of Telegraph from 52nd St to 46th St.
May 7th Update: The contractor has completed the concrete demolition and repair work on the entire Eastern sidewalk of Telegraph from 38th St to 51st St. Concrete demolition and repair work is underway on the Telegraph Ave Western sidewalk, from 52nd to 49th St, working Southbound.
April 27th Update: The contractor has completed the concrete demolition and repair work on the Eastern sidewalk of Telegraph from 38th St to 48th St. Concrete demolition and repair work is underway on the Telegraph Ave Eastern sidewalk, 49th St to 51st St. working Northbound. Once they reach 51st St, they will cross Telegraph and start demolition and repair work on the Western sidewalk of Telegraph, starting at 52nd St, working Southbound.
April 20th Update: The contractor has completed the concrete demolition and repair work on the Eastern sidewalk of Telegraph from 38th St to 42nd St. Concrete demolition and repair work is underway on the Telegraph Ave Eastern sidewalk, 42nd St to 51st St. working Northbound.
April 7th Update: It has been confirmed that the Repave Telegraph construction is essential and will continue, under the extended and stricter Shelter in Place orders that were enacted starting April 1st. The week of March 30th, the contractor completed the concrete demolition and repair work on the Eastern sidewalk of Telegraph from 38th St to 40th St. Concrete demolition and repair work is underway on the Telegraph Ave Eastern sidewalk, from the north side of 40th St, working Northbound.
March 28th Update: After COVID-19 delays, work has resumed. It has been determined that roadwork is essential and can continue. Work will resume the week of March 30th, demoing and repairing concrete, with a new expedited process due to decreased foot traffic during Shelter-in-Place
March 13th Update: The sidewalks from 38th to 52nd St northbound have been marked, and initial cuts made. Rain is expected starting March 14th, and will delay additional work for 5+ days.
March 3rd Update: The contractor will be demoing and replacing concrete on Telegraph Ave northbound (eastern) sidewalks, 38th-52nd St, March 4th – 13th.
February 2020 Update: OakDOT has announced that the task order with the City’s paving contractor is signed (see OakDOT letter with full details here) and the repave and redesign of Telegraph Ave will start March 2nd.
The construction will occur in three phases:
1. Concrete Construction (8-12 weeks): construct concrete raised bus waiting platforms and replace non-compliant curb ramps and broken sidewalks, curbs, and gutters. This work will be specific to certain locations; concrete construction will not impact the entire corridor. Expect: temporary sidewalk access restrictions as sidewalks and curb ramps are repaired (alternate access will be provided), and parking restrictions as bus islands and other miscellaneous concrete work is constructed at certain locations
2. Paving (8-12 weeks): grind down existing asphalt and replace with new asphalt. This process will be done one to three lanes at a time over several blocks. This will not cause a full closure of Telegraph, unless there is an unforeseen emergency. After paving, temporary lane delineations will be used on the surface of the roadway. The temporary lane delineations will reflect the prior lane configuration. Additionally, any necessary minor electrical work may be done at this time. Expect: Additional traffic congestion due to lane closures, Temporary access restrictions to driveways and side streets as the street is milled and repaved, and Short-term parking restrictions as grinding, and paving is performed
3. Striping of travel lanes, pedestrian refuges & bike lanes (4-6 weeks): Prior lane delineations will be removed and replaced with temporary markings on the surface of the roadway. Once these are inspected and approved, final striping will be placed on the street. Any additional minor electrical work may also be done at this time. Expect: Short-term parking restrictions as striping work is performed.
Throughout the construction, one to three travel lanes may be closed at a time, but cars will always have through access along Telegraph. Pedestrian access to businesses will be prioritized and maintained. ALL timeframes are only preliminary estimates. Unforeseen field conditions such as buried utilities may extend any of the phases.
Construction Contact: The City will make every effort to minimize inconveniences. Should you have any questions concerning this project, please call the project resident engineer, Amit Salwan, at (510) 774-4078 or Asalwan@oaklandca.gov. If emergency problems occur after normal business hours, please contact the Oakland Public Works Call Center:510-615-5566
October 2019 Detailed Update: Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) has announced that after the lengthy design process, and discussion with the City’s paving contractor throughout Summer 2019, the paving contractor has communicated that they will not have crews available until December 2019. Because of the negative impact paving would have on Temescal businesses during the holiday season, there will be no paving in December. The City anticipates construction beginning in the first quarter of 2020 subject to weather and other considerations. If you have further questions, please contact Hank Phan: hphan@oaklandca.gov.
Oakland Department of Transportation will be presenting at the Temescal BID Board meeting on Wednesday, October 23rd at 6pm on the delay of the Telegraph Ave repave and redesign, and answering any questions. The meeting will be held at Temescal Works at 490 43rd St. The public is welcome to attend.
The Temescal BID will communicate to all stakeholders when the exact dates for repaving are known. Additionally, the Temescal BID is planning a small business workshop in January to help support Temescal’s small businesses both during and after the redesign of Telegraph Ave.
Since December 2018 , OakDOT staff finalized the design for Telegraph Ave between 42nd and 52nd Streets, and conducted additional merchant outreach, which was presented as an informational report to the PublicWorks Committee, and accepted on June 25th, 2019.
Previously, OakDOT staff announced that the repaving and redesign (road diet and protected bike lanes) of Telegraph Ave from 42nd St to 52nd St will be completed in 2019.
The road diet and protected bike lanes planned for Telegraph Ave from 42nd St to West MacArthur Blvd will also be installed at the same time as the bike lanes from 42nd to 52nd. You can view the DRAFT Design plan for Telegraph Ave from West MacArthur Blvd to 42nd St HERE. Telegraph Ave from West MacArthur Blvd to 29th St will be redesigned in 2020.
As part of the December 2018 Telegraph Ave. redesign approval, Oakland City Council instituted the following conditions:
  • Additional merchant outreach to Temescal merchants (February 13th meeting)
  • City staff will finalize a design to close the bike lane gap between KONO and 42nd St. Attend the Public Meeting on March 6th and/or Take the Survey HERE to provide feedback on your priorities for Telegraph Ave b/t 42nd & 29th and to select your preference for the type of bike lane on this segment
  • City staff will create a plan to act concurrently to fix the KONO bike lanes. More info here.
  • An informational report regarding all outreach be presented to the Publics Works Committee
Connecting KONO & Temescal with Bike Lanes & Pedestrian Safety Improvements Public Meeting | Wednesday, March 6 | 6-8pm | Providence House | 540 23rd St | Open to all
Survey – Click HERE | Deadline: March 8th
The Oakland Department of Transportation(OakDOT) is working on a plan to redesign Telegraph Ave from 29th to 42nd St, to connect the Koreantown/Northgate (KONO) and Temescal Districts with a continuous bikeway and pedestrian safety improvements. OakDOT is collecting feedback on these designs until March 8th, 2019. The estimated project completion is 2021.  Please come to the OakDOT public meeting on Wednesday, March 6th and/or take the survey HERE to voice your thoughts and opinions regarding  your priorities for safety improvements and the type of bike lanes you would prefer., please join OakDOT’s workshop at the Providence House, 540 23rd Street, March 6, 6-8pm. If you are unable to attend the event the workshop but would still like to submit your feedback, you can take the online survey here. If you have any further questions, contact Hank Phan, hphan@oaklandca.gov or (510) 238-6109.

Wednesday, February 13 | Temescal Merchant Outreach Meeting for Repair Telegraph Design | 5-6pm | 490 43rd St. Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) is holding a merchant meeting on Wednesday, February 13th at 5pm to hear additional feedback on the 35% Design Plan for Telegraph Ave between 42nd & 52nd. Specifically, OakDOT staff will be reviewing the curbside management plan (loading zones, green zones, metered parking), to make sure that the kind of parking/loading outside of each business best matches the Temescal merchants’ needs. If a merchant cannot attend, please contact info@temescaldistrict.org to coordinate a time to review the draft parking map and request changes to parking outside your business.

The repaving and redesign of Telegraph Ave in Temescal will occur Summer 2019. For updates on the repaving and redesign of Telegraph Ave, bookmark repavetelegraph.org and subscribe to our enews HERE.
In Spring 2018, our campaign to get the City of Oakland to recognize the paving that needed on Telegraph Ave was successful. With over 600 signatures of the petition, the mass numbers of calls and emails and the overall support of sharing our campaign, the City of Oakland decided it was time to take action. The city of Oakland sent us a letter recognizing a “clerical error” in the paving list and committed to repaving Telegraph Ave in Spring 2019 (please see full letter Here).
OakDOT initiated the process to redesign Telegraph Ave (aka Repair Telegraph) in Summer 2018, as part of the process to repave Telegraph Ave. Over the past five months, the City of Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) has been collecting input on community and business priorities for the street and evaluating strategies to improve safety, equity and vibrancy along the corridor.

We urge all of you to stay engaged with the Temescal Telegraph BID and be involved in the process to repave and redesign Telegraph Ave! Help us keep the city accountable to follow through on their promise to repave Telegraph in Spring/Summer 2019.

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Background

For over 10 years, the Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District (TTBID) has been trying to get the City of Oakland to repave Telegraph Ave. between 45th and 51st Streets.  The City itself has ranked this street as one of the worst streets in the city (ranked as Poor/Failing at <30, when 100 is the top score).  Now this stretch of Telegraph Ave is barely passable, with pedestrians and bicyclists hurt frequently, and causing costly repairs to vehicles. The hazardous state of the road is a threat to the safety of the Oakland community.

Telegraph Ave between 45th Street and 51st St., one of Oakland’s major thoroughfares, is in the heart of a bustling commercial district.  The crumbling street has over 25,000 cars per day, 4 freeway on and off ramps, thousands of bicyclists and pedestrians and a major AC Transit bus line.

The State just increased gas taxes to increase funding for things like street repair, and a year ago Oakland’s voters approved a $600 million bond issue for the same purpose. It is simply inexcusable that this key part of a major thoroughfare is left to crumble year after year after year. It’s time to pave this section of Telegraph now.

Write an email or make a phone call to Key Decision makers at the city:
Director of the Department of Transportation
Ryan Russo
510-238-2967
Mayor Libby Schaaf
510-238-3141
Councilmember Dan Kalb  – District 1
510-238-7001