Fall 2023 Update
Completed:
- New speed table in front of station entrance, including new bollards.
- New separated two-way cycle-track on road in front of station entrance (East Drive).
- Re-organization of 21 existing and 5 new bike locker quads in anticipation of two-tier bike locker installation.
- Shared bike station moved to the east side of East Drive, adjacent to the new cycle-track.
In progress:
- New light post foundations and electrical infrastructure.
- ADA-compliant ramp connecting Sacramento St to the platform elevator.
- Widening of Ohlone Greenway between Acton/Virginia intersection and Virginia Gardens.
- Striping of new two-way cycle-track on road west of the plaza (West Drive) and conversion to one-way operation for vehicles.
- New regulatory signage.
- Procurement of two-tier bike lockers.
- Procurement of pedestrian-scale lights.
Upcoming:
- New two-tier bike lockers on the plaza, including space for oversized bikes (January/February).
- New pedestrian-scale lighting (February/March).
- New raised crosswalks on Franklin and Delaware.
- New pedestrian bulbout on Sacramento.
- New landscaping.
- New storm water management.
New bicycle ramp connecting parking lot to plaza, view from parking lot
Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].
Context
The Ohlone Greenway is a regionally significant trail spanning over 5 miles of shared-use path in 4 jurisdictions (Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito and Richmond) in two counties (Alameda and Contra Costa). Two segments of the path are adjacent to BART-owned properties currently used as parking lots, as illustrated below.
The existing infrastructure in these segments is a 10-foot wide multi-use path. Under normal conditions and during peak commute hours, these segments are so congested with pedestrians that cyclists prefer to ride through the parking lots. The Ohlone Greenway, in general, is a critical component of the bicycle and pedestrian access infrastructure for BART riders.
The station area itself is very permeable and offers many options for entry/exit for those who drive and park and for those who walk; however, the only infrastructure fully dedicated to cyclists is bike parking in the form of racks and electronic lockers.
This project is to implement bicycle and pedestrian access improvements at North Berkeley Station. Project goals are as follows:
- To advance the 2016 Station Access Policy (PDF) goals (safer, healthier, greener) and targets (PDF) (52% active access for home origin trips districtwide by 2025). For more information on the Policy, please visit this page.
- To reduce congestion in the Ohlone Greenway
- To improve pedestrian safety and security
- To minimize cost and maximize benefit in light of upcoming TOD
Background
Based on BART's 2015 Station Profile Study survey data, 61% of all trips and 59% of home-origin trips to North Berkeley station are already made by walking and biking. BART wants to support these trips, and make walking and biking a safer and more attractive option for more people.
Visit the Station Profile Study page for additional information.
Data Collection
For this project, we collected trip data to/from the North Berkeley station area on typical, middle-of-the-week weekdays in November 2017.
Active Access Trips
Vehicle Trips Trips
Our data taught us that most people, regardless of mode, arrive/leave the station through a small portion of the station area on the east side, where the station entrance is level with the street - i.e. there are no stairs (illustrated below).
Design
The image below illustrates the components of the scope of work, including:
- Two-way separated cycle tracks (pairs of bike lanes) on both north-south internal BART roads (West Drive and East Drive) and on east-west road connecting Acton Street to the station plaza. To accomplish this, we are converting West Drive and East Drive to one-way operation for vehicles. East Drive has already been converted.
- Two-way cycle track on north side of Delaware Street between Acton Street and Sacramento Street.
- A speed table and a raised crosswalk in front of the station entrance, and raised crosswalks across Franklin St and across Delaware St at midblock.
- Modifications to street corners at Virginia Street and East Drive to slow down turning vehicles and allow for orientation of new curb ramps in line with the crosswalks.
- A midblock sidewalk extension on Sacramento Street to shorten the crossing distance and improve visibility and driver awareness of pedestrians.
- New ADA-accessible passenger loading zone on southbound Sacramento Street protected by the midblock sidewalk extension and a direct connection from the street sidewalk to the internal sidewalk that leads to the BART platform elevator.
- Ohlone Greenway between Acton/Virginia intersection and Virginia Gardens widened from 10’ to 18’ to allow for separation between a two-way cycle track and a pedestrian-only path.
- Improved diverter at Acton/Virginia intersection to prevent drivers from climbing up the sidewalk to get around the diverter.
- Net new 122 secure bicycle parking spaces.
- Pedestrian-scale lighting within station area and along Ohlone Greenway.
- Landscaping and storm water management.
- Art.
Click on the image below to see a larger PDF.
View of new and improved Ohlone Greenway at Acton/Virginia
Double-decker bike lockers coming to North Berkeley
Funding
The project has received two grant awards totaling $3.4M from the Affordable Housing & Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC) in partnership with Bridge Housing and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA), which will serve to complement BART Measure RR funds set aside for the project.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section will be regularly updated as the project progresses.
Why is BART continuing a project at North Berkeley station while also planning housing in its station area?
At this time, BART does not know when implementation of the housing development at North Berkeley station will begin. BART believes moving forward with the North Berkeley bicycle and pedestrian access improvements project would provide needed community benefits and has designed this project to minimize loss of investment when the housing project is constructed.
Questions?
Email us at [email protected]
Project brought to you by voter-approved Measure RR funds.