The Port of Oakland (Port) is the major cargo facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, processing about 1.8 million TEUs of container cargo per year through seven active terminals. The Port’s Vision 2000 Program implemented construction of two fully modern marine terminals, the Middle Harbor Road Realignment, the Joint Intermodal Terminal (JIT), the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park (MHSP), and channel dredging.
Non-Port use changes have also occurred, such as the closure of the Army Base, conversion of the Burma Terminal (Berth 7) to a staging area for the Bay Bridge reconstruction by Caltrans, and construction of the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park. The Port also forecasts an extensive increase in container cargo moving through its facilities over the next 20 years and beyond.
With this anticipated continual growth of activity, the Port of Oakland retained separate terminal planning, roadway planning and traffic analysis, and rail operations and planning consultants to develop a “Maritime Development Alternatives Study” for the 1000-acre maritime area. The goal of this study was to develop a “tool” or method by which future plans/projects could be prioritized and evaluated.
T.Y. Lin International was the roadway planning and traffic analysis consultant. The overall roadway system planning study included traffic analysis, traffic forecasting and planning, development of conceptual level design plans and cost estimates, and coordination with rail, terminal, and utility planning teams, as well as peer review groups through meetings and charettes. Phased Roadway improvements were developed to maximize container throughput and ensure that the ultimate roadway system can accommodate all modes of transportation (cars, trucks, transit, pedestrians, and bicyclists) traveling into and out of (external), and within (internal) the maritime area. Special consideration was given to anticipating future traffic demands and to maintaining the needed roadway system during the transition and expansion of the area.