Caltrans Bay Area Completes First-of-its-Kind District Transit Plan with Release of Transit Needs Assessment Report and Map

Planning effort shaped by public input and transit agency partners to prioritize Bay Area State highways where investment would bolster transit the most

Report & Map available online

Oakland - Caltrans Bay Area (District 4) owns and operates more than 6,500 lane-miles of State highways and other transportation facilities, including toll bridges, tunnels, bike lanes, and park-and-ride lots that together make up the State Transportation Network (STN) in the nine Bay Area counties.

How this vast network of roads and other assets can better support transit is the focus of the Caltrans Bay Area Transit Plan and accompanying Transit Needs Assessment. This represents the state's first district-level transit plan, establishing a new model for regional transit planning in California, and is the third mode-specific transportation plan produced by Caltrans Bay Area, following the Caltrans Bay Area Pedestrian Plan and Bike Plan.

The Caltrans Bay Area Transit Plan Report, initially completed in the fall of 2025, includes an analysis of existing conditions; the development of a vision, goals, performance measures for the district; as well as a best practices toolbox for transit-supportive infrastructure.

Caltrans Bay Area has now also released the Transit Needs Assessment, a study of state highways and roads that identifies where investments in transit-supportive facilities would have the greatest impact.

This assessment includes an interactive online map which highlights locations where improvements such as bus-only lanes, safer crosswalks, and better pedestrian and bike facilities can make transit more reliable and easier to access. An addendum report was also released, summarizing the development of the Transit Needs Assessment, its methodology, and stakeholder engagement.

Together, the Caltrans Bay Area Transit Plan and Transit Needs Assessment provide a framework for Caltrans Bay Area to support the Caltrans Director's Transit Policy (DP-40), and help guide improvements on the State Transportation Network (STN) to expand transit access, boost transit use, and enhance the quality of life across the Bay Area through a safer, more equitable, and sustainable transportation system.

For more information, please email [email protected] or sign up to get Caltrans Bay Area transit planning updates here.