Why do we need this project?
40th Street and Shellmound Street provide access to and through an area of Emeryville that has been and continues to be a regional serving commercial, entertainment, and employment hub. With increasing housing in the area, it is becoming a mixed use neighborhood. But the existing design of the streets is auto oriented and doesn’t service existing transit riders, cyclists, or pedestrians well, or encourage more people to walk, ride a bike, or take transit. The purpose of the 40th Street Multimodal and Bay Trail Gap Closure Project is to redesign the streets to give priority to transit, bicycling, and walking.
The city has identified 40th Street as a major Transit Street and Regional Retail Access Route, designating this street a major multimodal connector within Emeryville. The Project will improve connections to employment, services, and regional transit, including the MacArthur BART Station, San Pablo Avenue, and the Bay Trail. The area where AC Transit and Emery Go-Round bus stops are located around San Pablo Avenue and 40th Street serve as a Major Transit Hub and support improvements to the area to facilitate bus riders who are transferring between the services that converge here.
Therefore, this project focuses on addressing the needs of these users that are not well accommodated by the existing street design.
Existing Conditions
Transit Riders
At present, the bus stops are situated in a way that disrupts both the vehicle lane and bicycle lane, leading to traffic disruption and posing a danger to cyclists.
Dedicated bus lanes with in-lane bus stops will minimize conflicts with other users, shorten commute time, improving integration of Emeryville’s transit system better with BART stations like MacArthur Station. Improved bus stops will provide better access and comfort, while pedestrian upgrades will facilitate seamless transfers.
Bicyclists
The current bicycle lanes on 40th Street and the bicycle lanes that continue to Shellmound Street lack protection for cyclists. Present striped bicycle lanes result in high-stress situations between cyclists and drivers. Separated bikeways and protected intersections will offer safer and more inclusive cycling options, as they accommodate families and those uncomfortable with high-stress environments. The bikeway improvements are critical to closing the gap between local and regional bicycle networks, providing new multimodal connections between Emeryville, Oakland, and Berkeley neighborhoods and safer access from Shellmound to the Bay Trail.
Pedestrians
The pedestrian experience on 40th Street is hindered by fast-moving traffic, long crossings at intersections, and a lack of walkability which does not serve the mix of uses in the nearby area that should be walkable. To create a safer and more pleasant walking environment near transit stations and activities, the corridor will undergo streetscape, intersection, and crosswalk improvements. These changes include encouraging reduced vehicle speeds to prioritize pedestrian safety and ease of walking.
What are Multimodal Treatments?
Multimodal street treatments are strategies and infrastructure improvements that prioritize pedestrian safety, bicycle protection and more efficient bus transit. In combination, these improvements also serve to manage the speed of vehicles and reduce the amount and potential severity of conflicts between people using streets.
The Project Map below demonstrates the planned improvements along 40th Street and Shellmound Street. The planned improvements are divided into sections - A, B, and C - in the Project Cross Sections graphic under the map. The cross section graphics show the existing conditions along 40th Street and the proposed redesign when you move the image slider to the left. The improvements include designated bus lanes, widened transit stop areas, and a two-way separated bikeway.
Project Map
Project Cross Sections
Use the image slider button to compare the existing conditions versus proposed improvements per cross section.
Examples of Multimodal Treatments
Bus-only lanes that will be dedicated to the use by AC Transit and Emery Go-Round buses. Near intersections, buses will share the dedicated lane with right-turning vehicles. Emergency vehicles are the only other vehicles that are allowed to travel in the bus-only lanes that will be marked solid red.
A 2024 traffic study estimates that the bus-only lanes, “in lane” bus stops, and associated signal improvements would reduce eastbound bus travel times by 1.1 minutes during the evening rush hour and increase westbound bus travel times by 30 seconds. The westbound and eastbound auto and truck travel times would be similar with or without the bus-only lanes during the evening rush hour.
The two-way separated bikeway will be physically separated from adjacent traffic by a raised island, like the bikeway along Christie Avenue. This will create a continuous separated bikeway from Powell Street south on Christie to Shellmound Street and then along the length of 40th Street to the Adeline Street intersection. The bikeway allows bicycle travel in both directions on one side of the road. It will mainly be on street level and physically separated from cars through raised and landscaped medians.
The dedicated cycle track will provide a protected space for cyclists improving their comfort and safety through separation from traffic, reduction of potential turning conflicts with vehicles, and intersection improvements. This will make cycling a more attractive alternative to driving for people with a wider range of ages and cycling experience.
Transit Islands
The transit islands are platforms located between the new two-way bikeway and bus lane. They are directly accessible via marked crossings from the two-way separate bikeway and fitted with passenger amenities, which may include transit shelter, bench, trash receptables and lighting. The islands provide a dedicated space for buses to stop and pick-up or drop-off passengers within the bus-lane, reducing the need to merge in- and out of traffic.
Widened Sidewalks
On the side of the streets without the separated bikeway, the project will increase sidewalk width at bus stops to allow for the same types of passenger amenities that are provided on the transit islands. The additional width creates a more comfortable condition for transit riders and people walking along the sidewalk.
At protected intersections, bicyclists are separated from parallel and turning motor vehicle traffic to the extent feasible. This provides a dedicated path through the intersections without forcing cyclists to merge with traffic. This has several advantages:
- The setback makes cyclists more visible to turning drivers.
- Extended corner islands provide protective “waiting” area for cyclists waiting to turn or cross.
- When possible, a pedestrian island at the corner can shorten the crossing distance and improve visibility for pedestrians.
The project will provide a variety of streetscape improvements creating more engaging, active, and accessible spaces. These will include landscaping features such as street trees and surface planters, additional furnishing for bus stops, small open spaces, better pedestrian lighting, wayfinding signs, and opportunities for public art.
At the crosswalks, high visibility striping and stop bars, as well as curb extensions to shorten the crosswalk distance will improve pedestrian safety and comfort when crossing streets.
Landscape and Trees
The project also provides the City of Emeryville with a significant opportunity to reimagine the functionality of the 40th and Shellmound Street corridor, not just from a mobility, safety, and streetscape perspective, but as part of the natural ecosystem as well. Integrating green infrastructure alongside the envisioned transit, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements will enhance the resilience and enjoyability of the street by improving water and air quality, mitigating the urban heat island effect, and creating wildlife habitat.
Street trees will be planted where gaps exist along sidewalks and center medians, as well as in the new northside Miniparks to provide natural shade.
Within protective raised island or adjacent sidewalks, surface planters will provide storm-water management, or simply decorative Bay-friendly landscaping areas. Through the integration of Green Infrastructure measures at certain landscape areas, storm-water run-off will drain into planters or other previous areas to improve the water quality and provide irrigation for plants.
Street Furniture
Additional features such as seating, bicycle racks, pedestrian-scaled lighting and additional bus stop improvements will improve the functionality of the public space along the corridor.
- Benches will be placed in gathering areas and certain bus stops.
- Bicycle racks will be provided in different configurations where cyclist would access adjacent uses.
- Bus stops will be improved with shelters or other enhancements.
- Additional pedestrian lighting to provide safety at night for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Emeryville lighting pole enhances the district culture and local identity.
- Wayfinding signs will help pedestrians navigate to transit or their destinations, and help cyclists do the same.
Public Art
The City of Emeryville is moving forward to enhance the 40th Streetscape in the Project area through its Art in Public Places Program. On November 19, 2024, the City Council of Emeryville awarded $500,000 to Sijia Chen Studio through a Major Call. The new Public Art improvements will include 12 installations along 40th Street, 4 plaza installations and a new city icon that will be part of the Project’s bicycle and pedestrian wayfinding signs.
Sijia Chen Studio’s proposal here was selected from 45 applicants and five finalists who were asked to submit design proposals. The Public Art Request for Qualifications (RFQ) can be found here. More information on the 40th Streetscape Public Art Project can be found here.
