City of Fremont, CA Official Website

The Public Works, Transportation Engineering Division plans and operates a multi-modal transportation system with safe and convenient choices for walking, bicycling, driving and using transit, through local actions, and in coordination with regional and state transportation agencies. Our work is guided by a Mobility Action Plan approved in March 2019 and a newly formed Mobility Commission.

Return to Public Works Homepage. 

Traffic Control Plans

These plans must be submitted to and reviewed by the City’s Transportation Engineering Division for any construction in the public rights of way. Traffic Control Plans must follow California MUTCD (Chapter 6) guidelines. A Traffic Control Plan Application must be completed and approved prior to any construction.
Turn around time is 10 business days for all applications.

If you have any questions regarding the Traffic Control Plan Application process, please contact:

• Engineering Division (if you need an encroachment permit also): 510-494-4700
• Transportation Engineering Division (if you do not require an encroachment permit): 510-494-4745

Instructions for the Online Submission of a Traffic Control Plan Application

1. Please make sure you have the current version of Adobe Reader. (Please visit the Adobe website to download a free copy.) The application form is a PDF form that can be filled in using your computer; however, you cannot save the completed form unless you have the most current version of Acrobat Reader.
2. Open the online submission form and bookmark it.
3. Please fill in the Traffic Control Plan Application, save it on your computer with any additional documents as one PDF file.
4. Return to the online submission form and follow the instructions to submit the document.

Other Options for Traffic Control Plan Application Submission

1. Print out a hard copy of the application, fill it in by hand, scan the completed form and other paperwork as a PDF file, attach and send to transportationengineering@fremont.gov.
2. Mail the completed application and other paperwork to Transportation Engineering, City of Fremont, P. O. Box 5006, Fremont, CA 94537.
3. Drop off the completed application and other paperwork to the Development Services Center at 39550 Liberty St., Fremont, c/o Transportation Engineering. (Office hours are 8:00 am – 3:30 pm, Monday and Wednesday, closed 12pm to 1pm for lunch).

Transportation Permits & Truck Routes

Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all Transportation Permits will be processed using the city’s new online transportation permit platform.

• Truck Routes
• New Account Paperwork

Transportation Permits are needed to ensure oversized loads are routed properly through the City. Proper routing avoids accidents due to low underpasses, weight issues and other clearance issues. Oversized loads can also require pilot cars to ensure the public is aware of their presence.

Transporters must also choose their route using City approved truck routes when possible. The truck route map is attached to the Transportation Permit to assist in preparing your route. Trucks must stay on approved truck routes as much as possible to the nearest point of entry to the destination, but you must make sure the route is appropriate based on the dimensions and weight of the load. The transporter is responsible for verifying all clearances prior to making the actual trip.

Transportation Permits are issued for extra sized legal loads. The dimensions for legal loads that don’t require a permit are 14’ high or less, 8’6" wide or less and 40’ long or less. Anything over these dimensions requires a Transportation Permit.

Please allow up to 48 hours for processing.

If you have questions regarding truck routes or transportation permits, please contact Transportation Engineering by email.

Major Transportation Plans, Policies, and Programs

• Mobility Action Plan - The Mobility Action Plan is intended to guide the City’s local implementation priorities and regional advocacy efforts over the next five years. Recommendations in the plan include topics of traffic signal modernization, school zones and access, travel alternatives, traffic safety program, new technologies and smart mobility, and regional policy and projects.  The Mobility Action Plan was adopted by City Council in March 2019.
• Vision Zero Action Plan (Updated 2021) – the City has adopted a Vision Zero policy that aims to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries from traffic crashes through safer streets, safer people, and safer vehicles.  The latest Vision Zero Action Plan Update was adopted by City Council in May 2021.
• Complete Streets Policy – Complete streets are streets that are designed, built, and operated for users of all ages and abilities and for all transportation modes. The City adopted a Complete Streets Policy in 2013 that complies with State requirements and establishes a commitment to implement complete streets elements as part of all roadway projects, ultimately balancing the safety, access, and comfort for all transportation modes along public roadways.
• Safe Routes to School - Fremont's Safe Routes to School program strives to make it safer and more comfortable for students to walk and bike to school. A large body of research shows that students who walk and bike to school are happier, healthier, and have higher academic achievement. In addition, commuting to school by car is a significant source of traffic congestion in the morning and afternoon that impacts surrounding neighborhoods. Fremont’s comprehensive program combines engineering tools with safety education and encouragement activities. The City collaborates with a variety of partners including the Fremont Unified School District, Alameda County Transportation Commission, and community organizations. Each public school in the City has a customized safe routes to school plan and map that shows the best walking and biking routes to/from the school campus, and they can be downloaded from the City’s Safe Routes to School Program web site.  
• Bicycle Master Plan - the City’s Bicycle Master Plan envisions a citywide bicycle network that is safe, convenient, and comfortable for users of all ages and abilities. The Plan was adopted by City Council in July 2018.  The City maintains a Citywide Bikeway Map that is updated every one to two years to incorporate newly constructed bikeway improvements. The latest Citywide Bikeway Map can be downloaded at the following link:
  • Citywide Bikeway Map (2021) 
• Pedestrian Master Plan - the City’s Pedestrian Master Plan envisions Fremont as a community that inspires people of all ages and abilities to walk for everyday transportation, recreation, and health. The Pedestrian Master Plan was adopted by City Council in November 2016.
• Trails Strategy Plan - The City’s Trail Strategy Plan supplements the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, focusing on off-street pathway facilities. It provides an overarching framework for implementing future trail projects in Fremont. The plan envisions more than doubling the City's trail network from 61 miles to 140 miles over the next 30 years. The Trail Strategy Plan was adopted by City Council in September 2021.
• Mobility Element of the City's General Plan - The General Plan has been described as the constitution for a city's development. It is the foundation upon which all development decisions are based and sets priorities and goals for the future.  The Mobility Element of the General Plan establishes policies and goals related to the movement of people and goods in, around, and through the City.  Specifically, the policies and goals focuses around expansion of transportation choices, reducing dependence on single occupancy vehicles, and emphasizing need to improve ease and comfort for walking, bicycling, and use of public transit in the City.  
• Transportation Impact Analysis - The City's Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) Handbook outlines the review procedure for the development projects within the context of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as well as Local Transportation Analysis (LTA) requirements. The Handbook was adopted by City Council in June 2020.
  • TIA Handbook

Traffic Count Collections

Traffic counts are collected on major city streets every two to three years for transportation planning and informational purposes. This information is currently available for years 2019 and 2021 in a detailed table format at the following links:

• Traffic Flow Map (2019)
• Traffic Flow Map (2021)

Traffic count information for prior years are archived and can be found on the GIS web page under Traffic information.

Citywide Posted Speed Limits 

Per Federal and State law, posted speed limits along public arterial and collector roadways needs to be established based on properly conducted Engineering Speed Surveys.  Speed limits that are posted without Engineering Speed Surveys are not enforceable by the City’s Police Department, and any citations issued along such roadways will be overturned by the traffic courts.  Speed surveys are not required to be conducted for local residential roadways, which have a default posted speed limit of 25 mph.  Finally, context specific speed limits may be established without Engineering Speed Survey for minor roadways in school zones, business districts, and other destination types identified in the Federal/State law.

Engineering Speed Surveys need to be conducted during off-peak times under free-flowing conditions, clear weather, and without other special events (e.g. construction activities) that may impact the normal travel speeds along the surveyed roadway.  The posted speed limit is set primarily based on the 85th percentile speed collected, which is the speed at which 85 percent of the measured vehicles are driving at or below.  Additional roadway characteristics are considered in the setting of the final posted speed limit, including crash history, roadway geometry, and adjacent land uses.  

Engineering Speed Surveys are adopted by the City Council, and they are considered valid for up to 7 years if there are no major physical roadway changes.  Engineering Speed Surveys may be extended to up to 14 years if the City Engineer determines that there are no significant changes in roadway design, traffic volume, or general travel pattern along the roadway.  For newly constructed roadways or existing roadways that had experienced significant redesign, a new Engineering Speed Survey needs to be conducted to establish or reestablish posted speed limits.

The current posted speed limits and Engineering Speed Surveys were adopted by the City Council on February 20, 2024 and are available for viewing or download at the link below.  For more information or questions related to the setting of posted speed limits in the City, please contact the Transportation Engineering group at transportationengineering@fremont.gov

• 2024 Engineering and Traffic Survey – Engineering Report
• 2024 Engineering and Traffic Survey – E&TS Forms
• Citywide Speed Limit Map 2024

Other Maps

• Truck Routes Map

Traffic Congestion

The City of Fremont understands that traffic congestion is among the community’s major concerns. Visit the Traffic Congestion webpage to learn more.

The Transportation Division coordinates with a number of transit and regional partner agencies to accomplish effective transportation systems and public infrastructure project within Fremont and around the South County area to ensure Fremont’s interests are considered in major regional projects. The City also actively pursues Federal, State, and Regional transportation grants that helps fund transportation related programs and projects that correspond with City Council priorities. To learn more about our projects, visit our Public Works Projects page. 

Links to the various County, Regional, and State agencies that the City’s Transportation Division regularly collaborates with include:

• AC Transit (Bus Service)
• Amtrak (Rail Service)
• Capitol Corridor
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) - BART owns, operates, and maintains two existing stations within the City of Fremont, including the Fremont Downtown station and the Warm Springs/South Fremont station. The City is currently also working with BART in the design of a third station within the Irvington District near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Osgood Road.
• California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) - Caltrans owns, operates, and maintains the State's freeway network, as well as designated regionally significant state routes, including Mission Boulevard (SR-238 and SR-262) and Niles Canyon Road (SR-84).
• Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) - MTC works with cities and counties within the San Francisco Bay Area's to create a better transportation system. MTC is the San Francisco Bay Area's transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency.
• Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) - ACTC plans and funds transportation programs and projects within Alameda County that increases access and improves mobility. It manages and administers the Countywide Measure B and BB Transportation 1/2-cent sales tax adopted by Alameda County voters in 2000 and 2014. 

If you would like to report an issue or make a request, please Report an Issue.