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Vision 980 Study

Vision 980 header image. Image says

Upcoming Events

There are currently no scheduled events, but sign up for our mailing list HERE to get updates on our next round of public outreach.

About the Vision 980 Study

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is conducting the Vision 980 Study to hear from the community about ways to reimagine the Interstate (I-) 980 corridor. The I-980 freeway divides neighborhoods in West Oakland from downtown Oakland and is a barrier to travel and economic opportunities. The Vision 980 Study aims to improve the quality of life for impacted residents through a community-led and equitable visioning process that seeks to reimagine the freeway to create new opportunities for land-uses like housing, businesses, open space, recreational, and cultural facilities.

Previous racially discriminatory decision making and redlining policies resulted in I-980 directly cutting through West Oakland. The freeway’s 1.6-mile-long connection between I-880 and I-580 displaced many West Oakland families and led to community disinvestment. Today, I-980 represents a painful physical monument to the segregation and discrimination of generations past. 

Some of the possibilities for the future of the corridor may include:
  • Increasing housing supply and economic opportunities near the corridor
  • Capping the freeway to expand open space and decrease pollution
  • Improving public transit connections along and across the corridor
  • Redesigning roadways and over/underpasses for people walking, biking, and taking transit along and across the corridor

The image below shows the study area, which is bounded by Broadway to the east, West MacArthur Boulevard to the north, Frontage Road to the west, and 3rd Street to the south.

Map showing the Vision 980 study area, which is bounded by Broadway and Telegraph Avenue to the east, West MacArthur Boulevard to the north, Peralta Street to the west, and 7th Street to the south.

Stay Involved

Please monitor this webpage to stay informed of the progress of the study and upcoming opportunities to provide feedback and meet with the study team.

In addition to the survey and virtual public meeting, we will be hosting two mobile workshops at locations within the study area and across the city. Information will be provided closer to those dates.

We also invite you to sign up up for our email list here to provide feedback and learn more about upcoming study activities.

If you have questions about the Vision 980 Study, please contact Caltrans project manager Becky Frank (Vision980@dot.ca.gov) and outreach lead Randolph Belle (randolph@rbacreative.com).

The study is split into two phases:

  • Phase 1 will include collaboration with study partners, community organizations, and the public to identify a new corridor concept/vision for transportation and land use along the corridor and develop an evaluation framework to ensure the concept/vision meets equity performance measures or benchmarks. The image below shows the process for Phase 1, which is the current phase of the study. This phase is expected to be completed by November 2025.

    Graphic showing the steps in Phase 1 of the Vision 980 study. Existing Conditions: Create project awareness and generate excitement; Build public trust; Understand public goals, aspirations, and priorities. Scenario Development: Seek input on potential scenarios for the corridor developed from public feedback; Demonstrate how feedback informed the creation of the scenarios. Corridor Concept/Vision: Present and seek feedback on the identified corridor concept/vision; Adjust elements that were or were not well received by the public

  • Phase 2 will include similar collaboration with study partners, community organizations, and the public to perform a more detailed feasibility and technical analysis of the concept/vision identified in Phase 1. This phase will begin following the completion of Phase 1.

Caltrans is supported by an experienced and local consultant team including the following:

  • Arup
  • RBA Creative
  • Urban Strategies Council
  • West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project
  • West Oakland Health Council
  • WSP

The study team is also working in close coordination with the following study partners:

  • Alameda County Transportation Commission
  • City of Oakland
  • Metropolitan Transportation Commission

As shown in the image below, construction of I-980 began in 1968. Prior to this, West Oakland was a vibrant and active community that suffered from decades of disinvestment as a result of federal redlining policies and suburbanization aided by white flight after World War II. The specific routing of the freeway was chosen to connect the then recently completed Grove-Shafter Freeway (State Route 24) and Cypress Freeway (I-880). Ultimately, this involved taking over 42 acres of property, including the removal of 503 houses, 155 trees, four churches, 22 businesses, and 142 jobs.

Timeline of key events related to Interstate 980 including the proposal of the Grove-Shafter Freeway in 1946, construction beginning in 1968, the opening of I-980 in 1985, and the effects of the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. The timeline also includes a note of the 503 houses, 4 churches, 22 businesses, and 155 trees removed as part of building I-980.
Image created by ConnectOAKLAND.org.

The Segregation by Design project uses historic aerial photography to document the destruction of communities of color due to redlining, “urban renewal”, and freeway construction. This site includes imagery from 1948, 1968, 1988, and 2002 to show the impact of the construction of I-980 in terms of dividing the community (Susaneck, Adam Paul. “Segregation by Design.” TU Delft Centre for the Just City, 2024. https://www.segregationbydesign.com/). The freeway bisected the neighborhood and created a physical barrier for residents and visitors that exists today.