del Norte Complete Streets
Last updated September 20, 2026.
The del Norte Complete Streets project rebuilt streets around the El Cerrito del Norte BART station. It is the first major project built from the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan’s Complete Streets chapter. This page records what was built, when, and the different cost figures that appear in city and agency documents.
What was built
- Streets: San Pablo Avenue (from the Ohlone Greenway to Potrero Avenue), Eastshore Boulevard, Hill Street, Cutting Boulevard (I-80 to Key Boulevard) and Knott Avenue.
- Elements: Class IV separated bikeways, protected intersections, new crosswalks, bus boarding islands, lighting and landscaping.
- Groundbreaking: March 6, 2024.
- Ribbon cutting: July 13, 2026.
- Status in the budget: the FY2026-27/FY2027-28 proposed budget says the project is “substantially completed,” with the Caltrans final inspection pending.
Source: City of El Cerrito press release on the March 2024 groundbreaking; FY2026-27/FY2027-28 Biennial Budget (del Norte project pages); Richmond Standard, July 1, 2026 (ribbon cutting announcement).
Cost and funding: what each document says
| Date | Document | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| September 2021 | West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee presentation | $13.25 million estimate |
| July 31, 2023 | BART Board memo | $14.92 million total |
| July 15, 2025 | City Council presentation, slide 26 | “Secured $12.7 million from various sources between 2016 – 2023” |
| July 2026 | News reports of the opening | “nearly $15 million” |
Funding sources listed in the September 2021 presentation:
- Committed, $9.67 million: One Bay Area Grant $4.84 million; Measure J $2.31 million; impact fees and developer contributions $1.18 million; SB 1 $147,000; subregional transportation mitigation fees $1,189,980.
- Pending, $3.58 million: an AHSC application ($2.9 million) and future fees ($681,000).
BART’s Safe Routes to BART program awarded $812,977 according to BART’s corrected memo of July 31, 2023. BART’s June 2025 fact sheet still lists $1.5 million.
The 2021 and 2023 figures are estimates of total cost, and the estimate rose by about $1.7 million. The $12.7 million on the July 15, 2025 slide is funding secured, not total cost. These figures are on different dates and are not additive.
Source: WCCTAC presentation, September 2021; BART Board memo, July 31, 2023 (Safe Routes to BART Cycle 2 awards); BART fact sheet, June 2025; Council presentation, July 15, 2025 (slide 26).