Valentine’s Day Events and West Oakland BART Parking Closures to Impact Saturday Commute

High Traffic Volume Expected for Valentine’s Day Events

Oakland commuters and visitors should prepare for significant congestion today, Saturday, February 14, 2026, as Valentine’s Day festivities and major performances coincide across the city. The most significant impacts are expected in the evening hours near the Oakland Coliseum and the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts.

The 90s Banda Tour is scheduled for tonight at the Oakland Arena and Coliseum, which will likely cause heavy delays on I-880 near the Hegenberger Road and 66th Avenue exits. Additionally, the Black Comedy Competition & Festival continues today at the Henry J. Kaiser Center near Lake Merritt. Drivers in the Downtown and Jack London Square areas should anticipate limited parking and increased pedestrian activity throughout the afternoon and evening.

BART and Transit Alerts: West Oakland Parking Impacted

For those planning to use public transit, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has issued a reminder regarding the ongoing Mandela Station transit-oriented development project. Preliminary soil testing and site preparations have resulted in the temporary closure of several parking lots at the West Oakland BART station. These closures, which began earlier this week, will remain in effect through February 17. Commuters are advised to arrive early or seek alternate stations, as parking capacity is reduced by approximately 60 to 300 spaces depending on the current phase of testing.

AC Transit users should note several active service alerts. The Uptown Oakland northbound Tempo station on Broadway has recently been relocated from the south side of 19th Street to the north side. Additionally, stop closures are in effect for the following routes:

• Line 45: The stop at Hillmont Drive and Archmont Place is closed until further notice.
• 98th Avenue: Construction-related stop closures at MacArthur Boulevard are in effect from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Scott Street: Stop closures at Donal Avenue for Lines 667, 675, and 684 will continue through February 18 due to local construction.

Roadwork and Corridor Updates

In Downtown Oakland, the 14th Street Safety Project remains active. Construction work on the south side of 14th Street between Broadway and Franklin Street is scheduled to wrap up this phase today, February 14. Motorists should expect lane narrows and intermittent delays in this corridor. On a positive note for those traveling between Oakland and Alameda, Caltrans has confirmed that the previously scheduled maintenance for the Posey Tube was canceled; the tube will remain open for normal weekend traffic.

Travelers heading across the Bay Bridge should be aware of ongoing viaduct rehabilitation work in San Francisco on the US-101 and I-80 corridors, which may cause minor rubbernecking or secondary delays for westbound commuters during off-peak hours.