Transportation Project Grant Priorities

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Each year, the City of Lafayette Engineering Department oversees the development of a number of transportation-related projects, programs and studies. Many of these initiatives are funded through various grant funding programs that are made available to local California jurisdictions. These grant programs can include federal, state or local funding sources, and each grant program comes with its own set of priorities, requirements, project types and community characteristics that are eligible for funding.

The list below represents three categories of transportation projects in Lafayette and the status of each project:

Future candidate transportation projects, pending receipt of funding from an appropriate grant program, to be determined.
Existing transportation projects that are funded, at least in part, and are currently under development.
Pending grant opportunities, subject to approval of grant program applications that have been submitted.

Candidate Transportation Priorities

On January 22, 2024 City Council affirmed that the following list of projects represent transportation project priorities for Lafayette, and provided direction to Staff to seek funding opportunities to fund project phase(s), as appropriate, for these projects as opportunities are made available and staff time permits.

More information can be found from the January 22, 2024 Staff Report for this Council agenda item.

For more information about each project, click on the title below:

Update to Lafayette’s Walkways and Bicycle Master Plans

Master Plans for the pedestrian and bicycle networks are intended to articulate a shared vision for how people walk and bike around the City, the City’s design standards and priorities. They also include a comprehensive framework for implementation.

The City’s existing Walkways and Bicycle Master Plans includes lists of potential and prioritized bicycle and pedestrian projects that the City would consider over time. Neither plan has been updated in quite a while and may not reflect current priorities, design standards, an understanding of the gaps in and an articulation of the desired build-out of the bicycle and pedestrian networks, and the recent updates to the City’s General Plan. In addition, the plans generally do not consider levels of technical feasibility and complexity for each proposed project and, thus, may not reflect realistic expectations around the City’s ability to construct unbuilt segments of infrastructure. Finally, preparation of updated Master Plans can help make the individual projects that are identified in the Plans more competitive for future grant funding opportunities.

At present, for expediency, it is expected that updates to the Master Plans may take place as part of the General Plan Update process for the Circulation Element. While that process is expected to result in updates to the Plans’ priorities and proposed networks, it is unlikely to result in a standalone comprehensive document that includes the subject matter that is typically routine for a Master Plan.

Phase: Planning
Cost Estimate:$100,000 - $125,000
Timeline: Immediate

Traffic Signal Design and Construction at Deer Hill Road / Oak Hill Road

This effort would result in the signalization of the Deer Hill and Oak Hill Road intersection. This is a multi-laned intersection adjacent to the BART station and that sits on both the city’s bicycle network and the High Injury Network as identified in the 2023 Lafayette Local Road Safety Plan.

In addition to helping facilitate vehicle throughput and traffic flow, signalization may reduce right-of-way confusion and make the crossings more comfortable for pedestrians and cyclists.

This is a project that has been considered before – it was recommended in the Circulation Element of the current General Plan, a signal warrant analysis was conducted in 2010, and the project was identified in the Downtown Congestion Reduction Plan.

The project would be expensive, however, and it is unclear whether any grant programs would fund this project, particularly given that there haven’t been any recent fatal or serious injury crashes at this location. If and when the BART parking lots are redeveloped by BART in the future, this could be a candidate for off-site improvements as part of that work.

As of January 2024, it would be helpful for staff to initiate signal design in order to be better positioned when the appropriate funding opportunity for the project advances.

Phase: Design and Construction
Cost Estimate:$1,100,000 - $1,400,000
Timeline: Immediate

Construction of St. Mary’s Drop-Off and Sidewalk Gap Closure Project

As part of the Connecting Lafayette: Downtown Pathways and Schools Safety Project, funding has been allocated towards the planning and design of a formal drop-off / pick-up location on St. Mary’s Road to serve Stanley Middle School and for an expansion of the pathway along the north side of St. Mary’s Road between Acampo Drive and Topper Lane. This design work is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 along with the design of the proposed pathways on School Street and Topper Lane. To date, construction funding for this project has not been identified.

Phase: Construction
Cost Estimate:TBD, dependent on result of planning and design phases
Timeline: Late 2024, after the project’s design and cost estimate are determined

Existing Transportation Projects

The following represents a list of current grant-funded transportation projects, programs and studies that are ongoing. Each project includes information about the phase(s) of that project that have been funded by each grant program. In some cases, local funding is used to supplement the identified grant funding.

For more information, click on the project titles below:

Lafayette Aqueduct Pathway Project

The next phase of this study will result in the preparation of design plans for the construction of an ADA-compliant low-stress pedestrian and bicycle pathway through Downtown Lafayette. Funding will be used to complete constructible context-sensitive design plans for each segment of the pathway that reflect existing conditions and is aligned with existing and future land uses in the city's Downtown. This update would be developed through a robust public engagement process that would include relevant partner agencies (BART, EBMUD, Caltrans) and community stakeholders.

In addition, staff is also considering the design of the pathway along the Aqueduct right-of-way to Pleasant Hill Road, and beyond, to connect with Acalanes High School and a future Pleasant Hill Road Pathway (TBD).

Ultimately, the project would result in the construction of a safe and fully accessible active transportation pathway designed for all-ages-and-abilities that identifies connection opportunities to adjacent commercial areas, existing and future housing sites, the Lafayette BART station, and the expanding citywide and regional low-stress active transportation network.

Phase: Planning and Design
Cost Estimate:$600,000 - $750,000
Timeline: Immediate

Traffic Study: Right-Turn on Red Restrictions Along Mt. Diablo Blvd

This project would result in right-turn on red restrictions at key intersections, to be determined, along Mt. Diablo Boulevard in downtown Lafayette to enhance safety and comfort for pedestrians by reducing conflicts between drivers and pedestrians. Restrictions would be facilitated with the use of an LED sign to reinforce the restriction, similar to the electronic signs at the Moraga Road / Brook Street intersection that restrict vehicle movement when the pedestrian crossing is activated.

The project is supported by the Local Road Safety Plan and public input from the 2022 online survey that was conducted for the LRSP. As part of this survey, respondents and participants were asked to identify locations within Lafayette where people feel safe or unsafe and to offer ideas about how road safety may be improved. Respondents identified the intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Moraga Road more than any other location, and the challenges of crossing Mt. Diablo Boulevard, particularly on the east leg of that intersection, were documented through this process. Input from residents have also identified the Mt. Diablo Boulevard intersections with Oak Hill Road and First Street as presenting safety and comfort challenges for pedestrians.

The next step in elevating the protection of pedestrians at these downtown intersections includes the restriction of right-turns on red for drivers when the pedestrian crossing is activated.

As of July 2025, Staff has initiated a traffic study so that the potential impacts of this proposed project can be understood and communicated. This project could then be discussed in greater detail as part of the upcoming Mt. Diablo Corridor Plan project.

Phase: Planning, Design and Construction
Cost Estimate: $80,000 - $100,000
Timeline: Immediate

Connecting Lafayette: Downtown Pathways and Schools Safety Project

The Connecting Lafayette Project enhances safety with a dedicated path connecting downtown, Lafayette Elementary, Stanley Middle School, and the Lafayette-Moraga Pathway. It also intends to ease neighborhood congestion by introducing an alternative drop-off area for Stanley Middle School and an expansion of the sidewalk on St. Mary’s Road.

Grant: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Community Project Funding / Congressionally Directed Spending)
- Total $: $3,100,000
- Phase(s): Design and Construction
Grant: One Bay Area Grant (OBAG-3): $750,000 (Design and Construction)
- Total $750,000
- Phase(s): Design and Construction

Pleasant Hill Road Pathway

Pleasant Hill Road West Side Walkway between Springhill Road and Lafayette Ridge Staging Area

Design and construction of a paved, ADA-compliant walkway between the Pleasant Hill Road / Springhill Road intersection and the Lafayette Ridge Staging Area parking lot to fill a gap in the City’s pedestrian network and to provide a walkway for pedestrians that provides direct access to Springhill Elementary School.

Grant: Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article-3 (FY 2023/24)
- Total: $100,000
- Phase(s): Design and Construction

Lafayette Town Center Pathway and BART Bike Station

Create safer and more convenient non-motorized travel between the Lafayette BART station and downtown Lafayette through the design and construction of a shared-use bicycle and pedestrian pathway segment connecting the BART station with an existing pathway, a new public plaza/community gathering space featuring an overhead public art installation, and a new Bike Station at the station’s south entrance.

Grants: Measure J, Measure J BART Program 10, BART Measure RR
- Total: $3,155,000
- Phases: Design and Construction

Downtown Lafayette Parking Management Study

Mt. Diablo Blvd Crossing Enhancement at Hampton Road

Approved Grant Applications

The following list represents grant applications that have been won by the City.

Lafayette Downtown BART Access and Circulation Project

MTC adopted a TOC Policy to create communities around transit stations that not only enable transit ridership, but also are places where Bay Area residents of all abilities, income levels, and racial and ethnic backgrounds can live, work, and access services. The TOC policy focuses on the core elements of land use density, affordable housing, parking management, and complete streets/multimodal access.

This grant program includes a number of different components to it, focused on housing policy, parking policy, and station access planning that includes active transportation uses.

The Lafayette Engineering Department has been granted $350,000 that will fund technical assistance to improve multi-modal access to the BART station. Among the work that would be prepared as part of the project's scope of work is an access gap analysis that would identify gaps in the active transportation network around the station and concept plans to help address the gaps.

Lafayette Aqueduct Pathway Project - Design

The Lafayette Engineering Department has been granted $300,000 for design assistance for the segment of the Aqueduct Pathway project between Dolores Drive and Brown Avenue in the city's downtown. Work on the pathway design will begin in summer 2025.

The grant project is meant to facilitate build out of MTC’s Active Transportation Network through the funding of design assistance for active transportation projects located on this Network. MTC is seeking to award technical assistance to conceptual projects that incorporate All Ages and Abilities design principles, advancing design to the point that they are ready to move to construction.

The AT Network is a 3,244-mile network created using regionally significant segments of locally adopted plans/networks with equity, mode shift, and safety as the core elements. The AT Network was identified in areas with the highest potential for shifting auto trips to biking and walking trips, where there is the greatest need for affordable transportation options, and where active trips can connect people with transit for longer distance travel. The grant supports the 19% per capita GHG reduction target, and the goal to build a complete streets network to encourage walking, biking and other mobility options.

For more information about transportation projects, please contact Patrick Golier, Transportation & Circulation Program Manager, (925) 299-3229