Moraga Road Lane Cut Advances as Monitored Trial Amid Recusals
City Council • MoragaOctober 28, 2026
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Moraga's busiest north-south corridor is headed for a diet. A three-member Town Council quorum approved the Livable Moraga Road Corridor Study by voice vote on Oct. 28, 2026, including a monitored trial that would shrink Segment 3 from four travel lanes to two plus a center turn lane, even though design and construction remain unfunded. The council also declined to add another hearing on the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan, keeping it on track for Nov. 18.
- Segment 3 lane-reduction trial approved, with evaluations at 6 months and 2 years
- Two recusals left three members to decide the corridor study
- Residents split on Moraga Road: cost and congestion versus crashes and kids on bikes
- No extra parks plan hearing; draft final returns to council Nov. 18
Moraga Road Goes on a Trial Diet
The basics: The Livable Moraga Road Corridor Study sets future street designs, called "cross sections," for four segments of Moraga Road. Segment 3 runs from Donald Drive to Corliss Drive. It currently has four lanes and no continuous sidewalk on the east side.
Why it matters: Staff cited five injury crashes on Segment 3 from 2018 to 2023. Staff also pointed to Vision Zero funding requirements. Yet design and construction carry no funding, and the town's previous $110,000 for the effort is exhausted.
Where things stand: Public Works Director and Town Engineer Neil Levine asked the council to take four actions. He wanted approval of cross sections for Segments 1 through 4, with near-term and long-term versions for Segment 3. He also sought direction to include the project in a future capital improvement program (CIP), a Segment 3 trial with baseline data, and a finding that the study is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The near-term Segment 3 design would have two travel lanes, a center turn lane, buffered bike lanes and a rectangular flashing beacon crossing at Devon Drive. A multi-use path would follow in the long term. Staff cited crash reductions of 19% to 47% for similar 4-to-3 lane conversions. Staff projected 2.4 seconds of added peak delay under 2024 volumes and no change in emergency-vehicle access. Staff also recommended installing a signal at Corliss Drive first or at the same time.
Outreach included a walking tour, an open house, more than 200 survey responses and a virtual meeting. Under the plan, the share of people who feel safe biking rises from 13% to 36%–40%. For walking, it rises from 27% to 50%–51%.
The trial is built to be measured. "6 months, we'd collect it all again, and then at 2 years, we collect it all again," said Levine. "Nothing's locked in stone."
The other side: Public commenter Scott Bauhey cited a 2015-16 survey that cost $40,000 and drew 1,108 responses. In that survey, he said, the one-lane-each-direction option had the lowest support. Bauhey argued the road is safe and put costs at about $7M for Segment 3 and about $24M overall. He asked whether any decision to make the pilot permanent would return to the council for public review. The approved recommendation includes the 6-month and 2-year evaluations, and staff will return to the council on long-term recommendations.
Public commenter Bill Carmen, a former Livable Moraga Road committee member, urged limiting the narrowing to the Paseo Linares and Corliss area, where he said most accidents occur. "A level of service D is kind of the antithesis of the reason we passed Measure K," Carmen said. Levine had earlier said "None of the intersections in the 2024 condition go to that level of service D."
Supporters spoke from the curb. Public commenter Casey Rain cited traffic calming, the Devon crosswalk and safe bike routes to school. "I think this is a really high priority, and I hope council considers moving this forward," Rain said. Mayor Kerry Hillis, speaking as a resident near Devon Drive, described a recent head-on crash, near misses and unsafe conditions for children biking to Ream Elementary. Hillis said turning there means being "in fear for your life when you slow down and you put on your turn signal."
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Councilmember Steve Woehleke laid out a decision framework and concluded, "I'm ready to endorse this to move forward as proposed." Councilmember Graham Thiel backed the plan, citing personal safety experience and the cost-control benefit of acting sooner. Vice Mayor Brian Dolan called Segment 3 "the only place I don't feel comfortable driving in town," and said the trial gives doubters recourse.
Woehleke moved approval, and Thiel seconded. The motion passed by voice vote with no opposition stated. Dolan, Thiel and Woehleke were the participating members, and Hillis and Councilmember Lisa Maglio were recused. The vote positions families, cyclists and pedestrians near Ream Elementary and Campolindo as near-term winners. Commuters who value lane capacity carry the congestion risk.
What's next: Staff will collect baseline data before the trial and again at 6 months and 2 years. The project now enters the CIP pipeline without a funding source.
Recusals Shrink the Dais
Mayor Hillis stepped back from both major items. On the parks plan, the town requested formal advice from the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) because Hillis lives near two parks in the plan. "My recommendation was that you recuse yourself in an abundance of caution until that determination is made," said the Assistant Town Attorney.
On the corridor study, Hillis said, "I am required to recuse myself from this item as my principal property is within 500 feet of the project area." Hillis stayed in the room to speak as a resident. Councilmember Maglio also recused and left the room because her husband owns primary property within 500 feet. Vice Mayor Dolan presided over both items.
Why it matters: The corridor vote rested on a three-member quorum, the narrowest possible margin to act.
Parks Plan Stays on Nov. 18 Track
Why it matters: Keeping the schedule allows possible adoption on Nov. 18 and completion by year-end.
Where things stand: The Town Manager said the consultant-led process has run a year and a half. It included a joint council-Parks Commission meeting and a commission review on Oct. 12. "The direction from the very beginning was to have all of these different meetings and then get it to the council by November 18th," the Town Manager said.
Staff said they are addressing three items raised on Oct. 12:
- A dog permit and management option is out.
- A proposed community center site at Ream and St. Mary's is replaced with a Montessori site and Moraga Commons option, with parking moved northeast. "So that is being removed," said Parks and Recreation Director Mackenzie Brady.
- Rancho Laguna Park language was redrafted to keep town-run programs while preserving the status quo.
The other side: Public commenter Renee Zeimer, a longtime resident, said, "I personally believe it's seriously flawed, and I don't think it's ready to come before you." She urged the town to retrieve prior plans on trails, Mulholland Ridge and tree planting, and to add a separate open space chapter. Staff responded that all applicable prior documents went to the consultants and appear in the plan's bibliography and appendix. Staff added that compliance with MOSO would be noted.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Woehleke said he had set "a criteria of there being a compelling reason to have that workshop." Maglio added, "I see no compelling reason to have yet one more hearing." Thiel and Dolan agreed. No motion was made, and the Assistant Town Attorney recorded unanimous direction not to hold another meeting.
What's next: The draft final will post online about two weeks before Nov. 18. Staff will also email it to about 10,000 Constant Contact recipients and share it on social media.
- Trash changes: RecycleSmart contracts change March 1, and 871 Moraga residents get new pickup days.
- $10 lid fee: Starting Nov. 1, open black landfill cans face a $10 overage fee.
- Measure J: Mayor Hillis reported advocating for a Moraga Way emergency safety lane in CCTA talks.
- Proclamations: October 2026 declared Domestic Violence Awareness Month and National Pedestrian Safety Month.
- Consent calendar: Approved by voice vote with no public comment, including prior minutes.
The council next meets Nov. 18, with the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan as the primary item. The Oct. 28 meeting adjourned in memory of Dolores Huerta.