Temporary Overnight Closures of 98th Avenue Scheduled Next Week for BART Oakland Airport Connector Construction

Oakland, Calif. – July 27, 2012 – BART’s contractor, Flatiron Parsons JV, next week will temporarily close portions of 98th Avenue, located between the Doolittle Drive overcrossing and Airport Access Road, for continued construction on the BART Oakland Airport Connector.

Detours will be provided for Oakland International Airport users to avoid the closed roadway during the overnight hours. The temporary closures of 98th Avenue are scheduled as follows:

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TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2012
12:01 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. – Inbound – Vehicles entering the airport will be detoured via Airport Access Road and Hegenberger Road.

1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. – Outbound - Vehicles exiting the airport will be detoured via Airport Drive and Airport Access Road.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2012
12:01 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. – Inbound – Vehicles entering the airport will be detoured via Airport Access Road and Hegenberger Road.

1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. – Outbound - Vehicles exiting the airport will be detoured via Airport Drive and Airport Access Road.

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The roadway closures will be signed and marked to warn drivers. Detour signage will be in place during the closures. Motorists should exercise caution when driving near the closed roadway.

The temporary closures are scheduled to install equipment and materials above roadways for construction of the BART Oakland Airport Connector "fly-over structure," which will transition between elevated and subway grades.

Construction of the BART Oakland Airport Connector has reached the halfway point. Train-to-plane service for Oakland International Airport is expected to open in spring 2014. The 3.1-mile environmentally friendly link between OAK and BART’s Coliseum station will add frequency and cut travel time to eight minutes from the existing 15 minute headways for the current AirBART shuttle service.

The Port of Oakland is an important funding partner on the BART Oakland Airport Connector. This project means more jobs, continued environmental leadership, and modern transportation infrastructure for the East Bay Area. Contact the BART OAC project hotline at (510) 464-6463 or oaklandairportconnector@bart.gov.

Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports more than 70,000 jobs in the region and over 800,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.

Contacts:
Rosemary Barnes, Port of Oakland
(510) 563-2892
rbarnes@portoakland.com

Jim Allison, BART
(510) 464-7110
jallis1@bart.gov