February 23, 2022

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News from the City of Berkeley

Berkeley Half Marathon on Sunday Feb. 27: Street closure, bus route information

Plan for alternate routes, delays, and parking restrictions

If you're planning to be biking, driving, or taking a bus through Berkeley Saturday evening through midday Sunday, prepare for street closures, re-routed bus routes, and parking restrictions due to the Berkeley Half Marathon.

Move your vehicles off the affected streets well before the closure time and make plans to use alternate routes, if you need to drive during the affected times - which vary depending on the street and route.

To minimize impact on the morning of Sunday, February 27, streets will be closed and opened on a schedule as runners move through. (See grid below for specific times.) The Berkeley Police Department will be monitoring the course during these times.

Parking restrictions and areas affected by race day activities

The bulk majority of streets will be affected starting 7:00 am Sunday morning, with some closures happening on Saturday at 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm.  

All races start at Milvia and Kittredge; the half marathon starts at 7:30 am and the 5K/10K both start at 8:30 am. The awards ceremony and Finish Line Festivities & Ceremony are scheduled to take place at Civic Center Park from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.   

Be aware that there will be restricted parking along portions of the route. We encourage you to pay attention to temporary "no parking" signs and to park outside of the course area beginning the evening of Saturday, February 26th to avoid ticketing and towing.

Closed streets for Half Marathon

Please review the detour and closure information below. Please do not plan to drive your car along the course during these times. Please see the Berkeley Half Marathon's street closure and detour page for updated information. Since bus routes will be disrupted throughout Berkeley during the half marathon, visit the AC Transit detour page.

Closures on Feb. 27

• Hwy 80, Eastbound off ramp to Eastbound University Ave: closed 6:00 am to 12:00 pm.
• Hwy 80, westbound off ramp to University Ave: closed 6:00 am to 12:00 pm. Use Gilman or Ashby exits from Hwy 80.
• Off ramps from Hwy 80/Ashby Ave to Frontage Rd: closed 6:00 am to 12:00 pm.
• Frontage Rd. from University Ave. to Ashby exit: from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm.
• MLK, northbound will be closed at Channing Way: from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. 
• MLK, southbound will be diverted at Allston Way: from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. 
• MLK, local access: southbound access between Allston Way and Channing Way, from 7:00 am-1:00 pm.

Intermittent Access Points

Please allow extra travel time through these areas.

• Shattuck Ave. North/South traffic at Channing: Intermittent access allowed from 8:00 am to 9:30 am.
• University Ave traffic going East/West, across Shattuck: intermittent access allowed from 7:00 am to 8:30am. University Ave traffic going East will be closed at MLK from 8:30 am to 10:30 am.
• San Pablo Avenue: intermittent access allowed from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm across these intersections.
  • North/South traffic across Page and Jones on San Pablo
  • North/South traffic across Bancroft and Channing on San Pablo
• Sacramento Ave: Intermittent access for North/South travelers from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.
  • North/South traffic across Sacramento at Bancroft and Channing

For event questions please refer to Berkeley Half Marathon website, call race day command center, (510) 701-1133, or email customersupport@berkeleyhalfmarathon.com.

A map is below, with the detours marked in orange. You can also see a larger map.

High-resolution map image

The following streets will be closed during portions of the half marathon. See a detailed closure schedule at the event website.

* Street closure begins 2/26

** Partial closure

Links

• Berkeley Half Marathon website
• Detailed street closure schedule
• AC Transit detour page
• Finish Line Festivities & Ceremony

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Apply by Feb. 23 for one of 88 new permanently affordable apartments in downtown Berkeley

Households that make less than $88,000 annually can apply to be included in a housing lottery for 88 apartments at Berkeley Way - an innovative affordable housing complex created, funded and coordinated through City efforts.

Your household's size creates a range of maximum incomes to qualify.

• A 1-person household could make no more than $47,950 to qualify for one of the 54 units reserved for those earning 50% of the area median income. A five-person household could make no more than $74,000 for those same units.
• There are also 34 units reserved for those making up to $57,540 or $88,000, the range showing the difference from a 1- to 5-person household.

Apply online by 5pm February 23 to enter the housing lottery. 

Read more at the cityofberkeley.info.

Solar, wind to start powering Berkeley homes in March

This shift toward entirely renewable sources as customers' default electricity plans will cost $5 more per month per typical Berkeley home, requires no action to stay on that plan, and reduces the City's reliance on fossil fuels.

All City buildings and streetlights had already transitioned to wind and solar power last year through East Bay Community Energy, the non-profit local energy provider for Berkeley.  The Berkeley City Council voted in June 2021 to make solar and wind power the default choice for residential and commercial customers, the latter of which will happen in October.

This transition is being mirrored across Alameda County, including the cities of Albany, Dublin, Hayward, San Leandro, and Pleasanton. EBCE recently sent notices about the change in the default choice, which EBCE labels as Renewable 100.

EBCE's Renewable 100 costs about a penny more per kilowatt hour compared to PG&E rates. Learn more about your choices below, via the EBCE website, or a February 18 webinar.

Read more at the cityofberkeley.info.

Businesses, organizations will be able to set mask rules for vaccinated people starting Feb. 16

As cases and hospitalizations throughout the region continue to decline, vaccinated people in Berkeley will be able to choose whether to wear masks in those indoor settings where merchants or organizations have not set stricter rules.

The safest choice now and beyond Feb. 16 is to continue to mask indoors - especially in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces. Masking also protects the medically vulnerable or those unable to get vaccinated, like our youngest children.

The decision to give organizations and vaccinated individuals more choices on masking starting Feb. 16 reflects a shared view by twelve of the Bay Area's Health Officers about the nature of this surge: declining cases of a hyper-infectious variant and, amidst greater vaccinations and boosters, much fewer cases of hospitalizations and severe illness.

Read more at the cityofberkeley.info.

More news from the City of Berkeley

• See two new draft maps as proposed Council district boundaries near adoption, February 15, 2022
• Use online portal to submit public records requests, December 6, 2021
• City offers free subscription to two popular mental health apps, myStrength and Headspace, November 17, 2021

We're hiring! Featured jobs:

• Camp Manager, closes February 28, 2022

• Battalion Chief, closes March 7, 2022

• Deputy City Attorney II/III, closes March 7, 2022
• Health Services Supervisor, closes March 7, 2022
• Program Manager II (Green Building),  closes March 7, 2022

See all open positions at cityofberkeley.info/jobs.

Upcoming meetings

City Council

• March 8, 6:00pm
• March 15, 6:00pm
• March 22, 6:00pm

Boards & Commissions

• February 23, 7pm: Police Accountability Board
• February 23, 5pm: Energy Commission
• February 24, 7pm: Zoning Adjustments Board
• February 28, 7pm: Zero Waste Commission
• March 3, 7pm: Public Works Commission
• March 9, 7pm: Police Accountability Board

We're here to help

Access City services online or by calling
(510) 981-2489, or 3-1-1 inside City limits. 

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