Caltrans studies Oakland's I-980 and possibilities for its future: Here are the options

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Interstate 980 goes through Oakland, but there's a possibility that that will change in the years to come.

The "Vision 980" study is now being done by Caltrans to explore ways the interstate could be transformed.

Right now there are three "Corridor Scenarios."

"One of them is enhancing what is already there without actually removing or adding to the infrastructure. Scenario two is covering the roadway. That's like covering the area downtown, where the area is depressed, and parks can go on top of that for example. And then scenario three is remove the entire freeway," said Becky Frank, who is the senior transportation planner with Caltrans, working on the study.

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And it's that final scenario, which would likely be the most expensive, that is the most popular among Oaklanders we talked with at a meeting Wednesday night.

"I think this community deserves to be invested in the highest amount, considering the historical disinvestment and the ripping apart particularly of Black communities. Historically in Oakland, we deserve even more funding beyond baseline amount, like thinking reparations-scale funding for this community," said Iman Sylvain, who lives in Oakland.

Connectivity is one of the main concerns out there. Many say when I-980 was constructed in the 1960s, it divided Downtown Oakland and West Oakland. Yes, there are ways to go around, but there is still anger over the closure of Black businesses and displaced families during that construction.

"I'm still forming my opinion but one of the things I'm most interested in is reconnecting," said Nick Torrez, who lives in Oakland.

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Some however, on Wednesday, were in strong defense of keeping the interstate.

"I'm also kind of fed up with the anti-car transportation policies around here. Oakland is not San Francisco. It's not Boston. It's not Amsterdam. Sorry, you can go live in those kinds of places. This is a sprawling polycentric city. We should play to that," said Mitchell Halberstadt of Oakland.

Caltrans is encouraging everyone to fill out surveys on its website about this. Then, next year, it will begin a 20-month process to analyze the costs of some of the most popular ideas, before then trying to find ways to fund changes.

You can fill out the survey here.