A $175 million plan to overhaul traffic between Alameda and Oakland would redirect thousands of cars away from Chinatown streets long plagued by pedestrian deaths, congestion and poor air quality.
A procession of cars streamed through the Webster tunnel on Monday, surrounding Chinese Garden Park in Oakland like a rushing river and creating deadly conditions that are the focus of the Oakland Alameda Access Project.
According to a 2025 study conducted by the city and other regional partners, nearly 1,000 severe and fatal pedestrian crashes between 2013 and 2023 have occurred in the area the project will impact. With poor air quality adding to an environment begging for a change, the project will demolish, redirect and streamline traffic connections between Jack London Square, Chinatown and West Alameda over the next three years.
As the population of Alameda has grown, the Webster and Posey tubes which connect the island to downtown Oakland have developed into congested arteries. Nearly 30,000 motorists use the tunnels each day as residents travel to work in Oakland or make the clockwise loop through Chinatown on to I-880 north, according to the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
When Alameda hosts its Antique Fair at the former naval base during the first Sunday of each month, the tubes are more akin to a parking lot.
Large traffic volumes have resulted in Chinatown becoming an epicenter of poor air quality due to idling cars. More than 60% of Oakland’s severe and fatal accidents occurred there between 2017 and 2021, while Chinatown represents only 6% of Oakland streets, according to the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
Motorist exit the Posey tunnel in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, March 9, 2026. A new onramp will be added for motorist to acces northbound I-880 in the upcoming construction named the Oakland Alameda Access Project that begins this month and is expected to be completed in 2029. Motorist will no longer have to turn right on 7th Street to access the I-880 onramp from the Jackson Street. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda County, Caltrans and the cities of Alameda and Oakland have sought alternative solutions for decades. The Oakland Alameda Access Project has been described as “30 years in the making,” according to Caltrans public information officer Hector Chinchilla.
The first stage of the project will remove a freeway exit and redirect thousands of cars away from Chinatown streets while expanding bike and pedestrian routes, according to Caltrans. The I-880 Broadway exit will be demolished to “reduce regional traffic” while pedestrian and bike routes will be widened between Alameda’s Mariner Square loop, the Webster Tub and Chinatown.
“Pedestrian safety in Oakland Chinatown has been of great concern to me, having worked in Oakland Chinatown for decades at the East Bay Municipal Utility District building,” said Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam. “I am also concerned about balancing the needs of businesses that rely on deliveries and those of schools, including preschools and childcare centers, which have congested drop-off and pick-up times.”
While these changes could benefit Jack London Square and the businesses it hosts, construction will temporarily close the Posey and Webster tubes during the three-year project.
Pedestrians cross the Chinatown intersection of Webster and 8th Streets in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. The Oakland Alameda Access Project launched in March with a goal to enhance connections between Oakland and Alameda, while decreasing traffic volume through Chinatown. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Posey Tube exit with I-880 will be rerouted away from Chinatown via a new “horseshoe” that threads underneath support columns for I-880 and moves drivers to a new on-ramp. The Broadway off-ramp will be demolished and the Oak Street off-ramp will be widened, according to planning documents.
Caltrans estimates the new route will reduce traffic by 13,529 cars each day from the Posey Tube through Harrison Street, representing a nearly 50% drop in traffic volume.
The second stage pivots to creating new traffic flows on numerous Oakland streets, including restriping Madison Street for two-way travel and restriping Jackson Street for one-way travel underneath I-880.
The Webster Tube detour will reroute motorists southbound along I-880 to cross into Alameda along the Park Street Bridge. Chinchilla said Caltrans is attempting to mitigate the effect of these closures on residents and businesses by operating Sunday through Thursday between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. during a six-month period of the first phase of the project. Designers hope that upon completion, the project will increase active transportation like walking and biking between the neighborhoods.
The timing could not be better for business owners at Jack London Square.
The neighborhood has developed from an industrial shipping hub to an epicenter of new development, with towering high-rise apartments, breweries and an entertainment district advertising a new Dave and Busters set to open in 2026. Jack London Square would seemingly be poised for a comeback, yet 50% of the neighborhood’s storefronts remain shuttered.
Traffic is backed up as montorist attempt to merge onto the Northhbound I-880 freeway from Jackson Street in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, March 9, 2026. This onramp will be changing due to the upcoming construction named the Oakland Alameda Access Project that begins this month and is expected to be completed in 2029. The Broadway downtown offramp from northbound I-880 which is shown in the photo above will be removed as well. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Hani Desouky, owner of Jack London Market, has witnessed rough times along the Oakland embarcadero. When he opened his store two years ago, auto burglaries were common and crime was pervasive, limiting foot traffic to the area. But crime is down in the past six months, he said, and the foot traffic that brings in the majority of his customers has increased.
“It’s super vital,” Desouky said. “With the rate that deliveries are charging these days, it’s more beneficial for us to have phone orders and people actually coming in and getting their sandwiches. … I do notice that foot traffic is getting a little better than what it was two and a half years ago.”
As a resident of Alameda, Tam said the adoption of safe streets for the past decade in Alameda has come with growing pains, but is an important strategy to protecting seniors and children from traffic collisions.
“I know that there is often some confusion and even pushback whenever these safety measures are first implemented, but we also know that the streets become safer for pedestrians and bicyclists,” Tam said. “It takes a whole-community approach to make Chinatown’s streets safer, including educating drivers, bicyclists, students, pedestrians, workers, and merchants, as well as making infrastructure changes.”
Caltrans division chief project management for Alameda and Contra Costa counties Ron Kiaaina stops to inspect the pedestrian/bicycle walkway inside the Posey tunnel in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, March 9, 2026. The pedestrian/bicycle walkway will be improved due to the upcoming construction named the Oakland Alameda Access Project that begins this month and is expected to be completed in 2029. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)