ConnectOAKLAND is a citizen-based advocacy group based in Oakland, California. They have a vision to reconnect neighborhoods and connect cities, starting locally.
At the heart of vision is the transformation of the I-980 freeway into a multi-modal boulevard that will allow for the reconnection of West Oakland to Downtown, open up new public land for housing, jobs and open space, and will serve as a catalyst for better transportation connections throughout the region.
The transformation of I-980 will reintegrate West Oakland and its residents back into the fabric of the City of Oakland and mend an unjust wound that severed – both literally and figuratively – one of Oakland’s most historic neighborhoods from the City as a whole.
ConnectOAKLAND’s goals are to gather community input and explore all ideas and concepts that will help bring this idea to a reality. We strongly believe that this project can be a game-changer for the future of Oakland and the Bay Area.
Undoing the damage done by this badly-planned urban freeway would:
- Transform an underutilized freeway into productive, livable infrastructure
- Reconnect West Oakland to Downtown by reestablishing 12 city streets.
- Unlock approximately 17 net acres of new publicly-owned land for future improvement.
- Improve the Health and Well-Being of Oakland Residents
- Extend a new BART line under the I-980 Boulevard connecting the existing MacArthur station to Alameda and a second Transbay Tube.
- Solidify Oakland as the Transit Center of the Bay Area by connecting Caltrain and HSR to Oakland through the Second Crossing (new Transbay tube) to a terminus and new HSR/Caltrain Station at 14th Street.
- Improve the Resiliency of the Bay Area’s transportation system and enable 24-hour Transbay BART service
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Note from Storm: If you’ve read the “Tips” article on the REVITALIZATION website, you know that my motton is “Repurpose. Renew. Reconnect.”. Thus, I consider ConnectOAKLAND to be at the forefront of urban revitalization. Best of luck to them!