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…