After years of planning, environmental review and public outreach, the long-awaited Interstate 80/Ashby Avenue Interchange Improvements project has reached another milestone—but Emeryville and West Berkeley residents, along with the many cyclists, pedestrians and commuters who use the corridor, will still have a lengthy wait for a safer connection to the Bay Trail.
Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) recently announced that the project’s stand-alone Phase I Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing (BPOC) has entered final design and right-of-way acquisition, advancing the bridge as the first phase of what was originally envisioned as a much larger interchange reconstruction.
More Than a Decade of Planning
The vision for transforming the Ashby Avenue/I-80 interchange dates back to 2012, when planning began for a comprehensive overhaul of the aging interchange. Intended to improve vehicle circulation while creating safer bicycle and pedestrian connections between Emeryville, Berkeley and the East Bay shoreline, the project formally entered environmental review in 2017. A centerpiece of the plan is a dedicated bicycle and pedestrian bridge spanning I-80, creating a long-planned east-west link between Emeryville’s growing bicycle network along Shellmound Street and the San Francisco Bay Trail.
Currently, people walking or bicycling must detour north to the University Avenue overcrossing or south to the Powell Street undercrossing to reach the waterfront. The proposed overcrossing would eliminate that gap, creating a safer and more direct route for cyclists and pedestrians. During the early planning process, some residents and bicycle advocates favored a location closer to Powell Street, saying it would provide a stronger connection between Emeryville’s downtown, the peninsula and the Bay Bridge Trail. The current alignment near Ashby Avenue was ultimately selected.
When Alameda CTC released draft environmental documents in 2021, the proposal envisioned rebuilding the entire interchange—including replacing the existing roadway bridge, reconfiguring freeway ramps and constructing the overcrossing—as a single $157 million project. Construction was expected to begin in 2024 and conclude in 2026.
Environmental review under both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was completed in December 2023, allowing the project to advance into design.
Funding Shortfall Forces New Approach
Despite clearing environmental review, the full interchange reconstruction proved too costly to advance as originally envisioned.
In April 2024, Alameda CTC amended the voter-approved 2014 Transportation Expenditure Plan to split the project into phases, allowing the bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing to move forward first while postponing the more expensive roadway bridge replacement and interchange improvements until additional funding becomes available.
“To accommodate this phased approach, the overcrossing approach ramps were redesigned because the existing roadway overcrossing must remain in place until additional funding is secured for its replacement,” explained Alameda CTC Assistant Director of Policy and Government Affairs Remy Goldsmith.
The redesign allows the bridge to function independently while the existing Ashby roadway bridge continues carrying vehicle traffic. Plans also include a realignment of the West Frontage Road to eliminate an at-grade bicycle and pedestrian crossing, new connections to existing bike facilities on Shellmound Street and a small vista point overlooking the Bay.
The standalone Phase I project is now estimated to cost approximately $61 million, with about $31.5 million already committed through Measure BB. Alameda CTC is seeking an additional $25 million in Regional Measure 3 funding, leaving roughly $4.4 million of additional funding still to be secured through grants and other sources.
New Timeline Emerges
The remaining portions of the original project—including replacement of the Ashby roadway bridge and freeway ramp improvements—have not yet been funded or scheduled.
The revised timeline marks a significant departure from the project’s original schedule. Instead of breaking ground in 2024 and opening in 2026, final design is expected to continue through 2028, with construction now anticipated to begin in Spring 2029 and conclude by the end of 2030, assuming the remaining funding can be secured.
If that schedule holds, nearly 13 years will have elapsed between the start of formal environmental work in 2017 and completion of the overcrossing. While the broader interchange reconstruction remains unfunded, advancing the bridge as a stand-alone project preserves one of its most anticipated benefits: closing a long-standing gap between Emeryville’s bicycle network and the Bay Trail while improving access to the shoreline.
The bike-ped overcrossing is only one piece of a much larger, long-term vision for the interchange. The unfunded second phase would reconstruct the Ashby Avenue roadway bridge and freeway interchange, but Alameda CTC has yet to reestablish a timeline. With neighboring interchanges like Gilman Street now transformed with modern roundabouts and multimodal features, questions remain about whether the Ashby project will ultimately be built as originally envisioned.
July 24 Correction: We have clarified an included secondary rendering of the overcrossing design that had the original approach design.
Thanks for this info/update, Rob. I’m puzzled because the plan shows an entry ramp at 65th St whereas the overhead rendering does not. Do you know which is correct? Or is it too soon to know? (65th makes sense as it is already the bike friendly route.) Thanks for any info.
Judy – I did clarify that the original rendering used in the feature image was the old “curvilinear” approach design prior for the project prior to being broken up in phases. I’ve updated this post with the new design with the redesigned approaches although I don’t believe this is final.
I wish someone would study the Gilman bike/pedestrian overpass usage. Shortly after that whole project opened a biking friend on mind pointed out the overpass is completely unnecessary. It’s much easier to simply bike through the roundabouts since you’re never crossing more than one lane of traffic at a time. I tried biking both ways and sure enough the overpass took me so far out of my way, while crossing through the roundabouts was easier, faster and more direct. I never felt unsafe going through the roundabouts.
Looking at the top photo in this article showing the overland passing with stoplights and crosswalks makes me wonder if this would be another underused and costly bike/pedestrian bridge once the overland passage is completed. Why not axe the bridge and put it towards the overland passage that will accommodate cyclists and pedestrians?
At Gilman, I’m a bicyclist who generally uses the roundabouts too, but the bridge is a much safer option. Going through the roundabouts, you have to cross 5 lanes of traffic to get all the way through to the rest of Gilman Street, as opposed to just the single crossing if you take the bridge. That’s a lot of collision chances, especially during rush hour when I always see a lot of cars. Less experienced bicyclists, families, and people who have slightly more time on their hands are better off taking the bridge. So I don’t think it’s “completely unnecessary” by any means.
Also, in regards to the roundabouts, there really needs to be a round convex mirror as you go under the highway, because the turning corners are too sharp and could easily lead to a collision between bicyclists, or a bicyclist and a pedestrian who decided to walk in the bike lane.
Agree with the redundancy comment.
But why save money when you can spend others.
At least that overpass didn’t provide a space for a horrendously bad art piece created by a mediocre Emeryville artist.
Where are all the tents on the grass?