San Leandro's Detour Season: What's Being Rebuilt This Fall, and When Each Project Wraps Up

Since March 2023, there has been no bridge between Cary Drive and Haas Avenue. A storm dropped trees onto the 1972 footbridge, and the city later removed it. Crews broke ground on its replacement on October 1. That same month, construction starts on San Leandro Boulevard, and a new fitness court opens at Marina Park.

All of that landing at once can feel like the whole city is torn up. The schedules tell a more orderly story. Most of what San Leandro gets back over the next year is on foot: a footbridge, a branch library, an outdoor gym, safer crossings. The smaller projects finish first, while the longest and most disruptive one moves through its corridor a couple of blocks at a time.

The Order Things Finish In

Here's every project on one calendar, using the dates the city and Alameda County Transportation Commission have published:

Alameda CTC's own page gives two readings of the East 14th Street date. Its overview says the 54th Avenue to San Leandro package will complete design in spring 2027. Its FAQ says construction on East 14th Street is expected to begin in spring 2027. Spring 2027 is the next milestone for East 14th either way. A firm start date hasn't been published.

Running alongside all of this is the city's $6.6 million pavement maintenance program. It covers about 35 lane-miles, with sealing work across the city through summer and fall. The city's summer newsletter gave no end date for it.

San Leandro Boulevard, Two Blocks at a Time

The East Bay Greenway is the project most people will notice from the car. In San Leandro it's planned as a route of roughly 3.5 miles linking Downtown San Leandro and the Bayfair area, using San Leandro Boulevard and East 14th Street. The first phase covers San Leandro Boulevard from the Oakland city limits to East 14th Street.

Alameda CTC's project page lays out the rules crews will follow, and they shape how this will feel on any given street:

• Work will be limited to no more than two blocks in a row at any one time.
• Inside active work zones, San Leandro Boulevard drops to one lane in each direction.
• Weekday work hours run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with weekend work possible from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. if needed.
• AC Transit Route 28 should expect temporary bus stop closures and detours.
• Access to buildings and pedestrian routes stays open throughout, with temporary routes where needed.

From my years as a general contractor, I'd say the two-block limit is the detail that matters most. On a long corridor job, the alternative is tearing up the whole length and letting every block sit half-finished for months. Capping the work at two blocks means your stretch of the Boulevard should get its turn and then get its street back. Living near a 13-month project doesn't mean 13 months of cones in front of your door.

The finished street is meant to have separated bikeways, protected intersections, new crosswalks with flashing beacons and pedestrian signals, upgraded curb ramps, new lighting, new bus stops and bus loading islands, closed sidewalk gaps, street trees, drought-tolerant plantings, and plaza areas. Alameda CTC hasn't published the permanent lane count or any permanent parking changes on the pages I reviewed. For now, the only firm numbers are the temporary ones above.

For scale, Alameda CTC's spring 2026 fact sheet puts all of Phase 1, which runs from Lake Merritt BART to Bayfair, at an estimated $196.655 million. That figure covers the whole Oakland-to-San Leandro corridor, so it shouldn't be read as the cost of the San Leandro Boulevard segment alone.

How the Warnings Reach Your Door

Alameda CTC says it won't announce exact block locations until about five days before work starts on them. If you live or run a business near the Boulevard, notices should arrive in this order:

1. About two weeks before construction begins in your area: a mailed notice with project details, the work schedule, and a contact for questions.
2. At least 72 hours before parking is affected: No Parking signs posted on the street.
3. About five days before work on your block: a door hanger.

Questions can go to the project team at [email protected]. As of October 8, AC Transit's service alerts page showed no Greenway notice for Line 28, so riders will want to check it again once the first blocks are announced.

The Bridge Back to Memorial Park

For about three and a half years, a missing footbridge has meant a longer walk for anyone going between Cary Drive and Haas Avenue. The city says the new bridge will restore the pedestrian route serving Bancroft Middle School, Memorial Park, the San Leandro Main Library, and the businesses along Bancroft Avenue.

The replacement is a prefabricated weathering steel truss on new abutments, with improved safety and accessibility features. A $5 million donation dedicated to the rebuild supports the project. The city awarded the construction contract to Con-Quest Contractors, Inc. for $976,775, and completion is expected in spring 2027. Prefabricated means most of the truss is built somewhere else and set in place, so the work at the site goes mostly into the foundations on each end.

Bancroft Avenue has a second project coming. On July 20, the City Council approved a $5.756 million design contract for Class IV bike lanes and complete-street work on Bancroft from East 14th Street to Durant Street, and on Williams Street from San Leandro Boulevard to Neptune Drive. That's design money, not a construction start. For Bancroft, the bridge comes well before any street changes.

Mulford-Marina's Library Nearly Triples

The old Mulford-Marina branch opened in 1962 in a 1,200-square-foot building that a City Council staff report described as having reached the end of its useful life. Its replacement at Aurora Drive and Fairway Drive is about 4,000 square feet, roughly three times the size. The new branch adds a children's reading alcove, a multipurpose room, an outdoor terrace with seating, and new plantings with walking paths.

The staff report estimated the total cost at $10,663,700. Funding includes $4,079,701 in state library grant money, an $800,000 donation from the Library Foundation, and city capital and ADA funds.

On timing, a city project update for the week ending May 1, 2026 said the library was on track for completion in December 2026. The summer newsletter also projected a December opening. I couldn't find anything newer. Finishing construction and opening the doors are often a few weeks apart, so I'd treat December as the city's target and not as a ribbon-cutting date.

Marina Park Opens First

The first project to finish is the smallest. San Leandro's first Outdoor Fitness Court opens at Marina Park on Saturday, October 10, at 10 a.m. It's a free outdoor gym with seven body-weight stations for anyone 14 and older, paid for with $100,000 from the Rotary Club.

On the city's schedule, the shoreline side of town comes out ahead this year. The fitness court opens now, and the Mulford-Marina library is projected for December. Meanwhile, the Boulevard and Bancroft corridors are just getting started.

What's Still on the Calendar While the Cones Are Out

None of the construction cancels the fall schedule. These events are still listed:

• SPOOKTOBER, Friday, October 9, 4 to 9 p.m.: San Leandro's free Second Fridays Halloween event at 1446 Washington Ave., with live music, youth dance, food trucks, night-market vendors, and costume contests. Details are on the Downtown San Leandro events page.
• Downtown San Leandro Farmers' Market, last market Wednesday, October 14: at 300 Estudillo Ave. The Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association lists hours of 3 to 7 p.m. and a season that ends that day, though the downtown association's page also mentions 4 to 8 p.m.
• Pumpkin Splash, Friday, October 16, 5 to 7 p.m.: swim, then pick a pumpkin, at the Boys & Girls Club Pool, 2200 San Leandro Blvd. The listed fee is $12.
• Family Fun Night: Día de los Muertos Music and Dance, Wednesday, October 21, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.: an all-ages evening at the Main Library, 300 Estudillo Ave.
• Trick-or-Treat Storytime, Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 p.m.: also at the Main Library.
• Halloween BINGO, Friday, October 30, 2 to 4 p.m.: at the Senior Community Center, 13909 E. 14th Street.

The Pumpkin Splash pool sits on San Leandro Boulevard. Once the Greenway's first work blocks are posted, it's worth checking whether 2200 San Leandro Blvd falls inside one before you head over.

I spent more than twenty years running construction jobs before most of these crews were hired, so a schedule like this is something I read closely. If you'd like help figuring out what the Greenway work or any of these projects means for your own block or your plans for your home, Joe LoParo is glad to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.