Oakland Gets a Department of Transportation

Oakland's new DOT will take a "complete streets" approach to transportation planning.

1 minute read

June 19, 2016, 1:00 PM PDT

By Elana Eden


Downtown Oakland

kropik1 / Shutterstock

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf recently announced the launch of a new Department of Transportation—the city's first, reports the Piedmont Patch.

Jeff Tumlin, principal and director of strategy at Nelson\Nygaard, will serve as interim director while a national search is conducted.

The DOT will be guided by a "complete streets" policy, and will rely on socioeconomic as well as transportation data to inform decisions and projects.

Other priorities, as set forth by Mayor Schaaf, include finding transportation funding, maintaining streets, reducing congestion, and promoting alternative transportation options.

Most of the department’s 300 employees will come from Oakland's Public Works Department. As of now, $1.5 million has been allocated for staff; more will eventually come from state and federal grants, the state gas tax, and city departments folding into the new DOT.

Thursday, June 9, 2016 in Piedmont Patch

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20 - Streetsblog USA

Close-up on BLM sign on Continental Divide Trail in Rawlins, Wyoming.

BLM To Rescind Public Lands Rule

The change will downgrade conservation, once again putting federal land at risk for mining and other extractive uses.

April 20 - Public Domain

Calvary Street bridge over freeway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path

Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.

April 20 - Smart Cities Dive