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The Richmond Street Project has reached a major milestone with the completion of environmental clearance under both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The City has conducted extensive community engagement to support this project, and public input was considered as part of the environmental clearance.

With this progress, the team is advancing into the next phase of work, focusing on final design and preparation for construction. Coordination with utility providers and ongoing technical investigations are actively underway to support project delivery.

We appreciate the community’s continued interest and patience as we move the project forward. Additional updates, including final design plans, will be shared here as they become available.

Project Schedule

The purpose of the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement project is to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and establish a complete Richmond Street between Elm Street and Fairmount Avenue.

The project’s three key goals are:

Safety

The project uses the Safe System Approach to safer roads adopted by U.S. Department of Transportation. This approach recognizes the importance of designing streets holistically to change overall behavior, rather than applying spot treatments. Proven Safety Countermeasures are key tools in the Safe Systems Approach. To learn more, visit the Federal Highway Administration’s Proven Safety Countermeasures site.

Connectivity

People travel on streets using many different modes—walking/rolling, driving, biking, riding transit. A complete streets approach balances the needs of all modes to create streets that are safe, comfortable, and convenient for all people who use them.

Feasibility

The project is funded by a combination of federal and local funds. The project will implement a balanced and systemic set of improvements within the project’s available budget.

The project is grounded in the City’s adopted plans and policies.

In 2016, the City adopted an Active Transportation Plan and a Complete Streets Policy, which call for creating a safe, comfortable, and convenient transportation network that serves users of all modes and all abilities. It is the goal of the City to approach all street projects – from basic maintenance to major makeovers – with these principles.

In 2024, the City adopted the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Half of El Cerrito’s greenhouse gas emissions are from driving, underscoring the need to create infrastructure that serves all modes and enables less driving.

In 2024, the City completed public outreach for the Local Road Safety Plan. Nearly 1,000 people responded to an online survey about road safety. Three out of four respondents said they would walk or bike more if they felt safe, indicating unmet demand for infrastructure that serves all modes.

The El Cerrito community wants safer spaces to walk and bike. Creating these spaces involves tradeoffs in the use of limited public street space.

The project reflects input received from the community.

Through community workshops and online surveys, several themes around safety and connectivity emerged. Residents highlighted the importance of:

Calming driving speeds and improving driver compliance with rules of the road.

Repairing the roadway surfaces

Improving visibility and pedestrian safety at intersections, especially at intersections used by students

Repairing sidewalk surfaces

Improving safety for bicycling along Richmond Street

Establishing a consistent street tree canopy

Five project strategies have emerged from citywide plans and public input gathered at Richmond Street community meetings.

1. Balanced Use of Limited Public Space

The project will balance the use of the public right of way to improve safety and connectivity for all users.

The EBMUD Wildcat Pipeline project will result in necessary pavement repairs on Richmond Street. Pavement repair offers a unique opportunity for the City to re-evaluate how limited public space can be utilized. Along Richmond Street, the existing available vehicle parking is underutilized – parking occupancy is typically not higher than 46% and most properties have at least one off-street parking space

To balance the use of limited public space and accommodate the needs of all modes, the Project as proposed will repurpose some on-street parking south of Moeser Lane to accommodate the tree bulb-outs and other pedestrian safety improvements. North of Moeser Lane, the project will repurpose approximately half of the on street parking to accommodate bike lanes and other safety improvements.

Do you live on Richmond Street and need curbside access due to mobility impairment or other special access needs?

We want to hear from you. Please contact us.

2. Safe Speeds

The project will reduce vehicle speeds and calm driving behavior.

Speed is a fundamental predictor of crash survival. When a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle traveling 30 mph, there is a 55% chance of survival. If a person is hit by a vehicle traveling 20 mph, the survival rate increases to 95%.

The speed limit on Richmond Street is 25mph. The prevailing speed is higher. North of Moeser Lane, where prevailing speeds are highest, approximately 40% of drivers travel at or faster than 30 mph.

The project will apply proven traffic calming features including:

Slowing driver speeds will also make it easier for residents to safely use their personal driveways and garages.

3. Safe Walking

The project will make walking along and across Richmond Street easier and safer.

In addition to sidewalk repairs, the project will install proven safety features at key intersections along the corridor.

Corner extensions. Shorten the crossing distance at intersections and improve visibility for people walking and driving.
Raised crosswalks. Improve visibility and accessibility and can reduce crashes involving pedestrians up to 45%
Flashing Beacons. Increase the rate at which drivers yield to pedestrians and can reduce crashes involving pedestrians up to 47%
High visibility crosswalk markings and signs. Making crosswalks and their users more visible can significantly reduce crashes for all users by up to 40%

4. Safe Bicycling

The project will install new dedicated bicycle lanes in each direction between Hill Street and Moeser Lane.

Along these blocks, Richmond Street is the only continuous north-south street that’s relatively flat. As a result, this section of Richmond Street is a designated bikeway in the City’s Active Transportation Plan. The Ohlone Greenway, while a great asset, is too far from destinations like Korematsu Middle School and the El Cerrito Swim and Community Center to serve local residents.

Current engineering guidance generally advises separating bicycles and vehicles on roads with more than 6,000 vehicles per day. During a typical weekday, approximately 6,400 drivers use Richmond Street north of Moeser Lane, indicating that bicycle lanes are the appropriate type of facility to address bicyclist safety and comfort. Bicycle lanes have also been shown to improve safety of all modes by up to 30%.

5. Green Infrastructure

The project will plant street trees to support a sense of community and provide traffic calming benefits.

A consistent street tree canopy provides many social and environmental benefits. Shade provided by mature, healthy trees creates a comfortable and welcoming environment for people to walk. Street trees have also been shown to calm traffic speeds while helping to establish a sense of place.

The project will balance constraints, such as overhead utility lines, space limitations, and maintenance requirements, with opportunities to infill street trees that are appropriate for the conditions. Regulatory requirements will also result in the placement of rain gardens along the corridor to detain and filter stormwater runoff.

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