San Leandro Driving School

Driving in San Leandro: What New Drivers Should Know

I-880 and I-580 both run through the city. The short I-238 freeway links them. Heavy trucks barred from I-580 in Oakland use I-238 and I-880 instead. Union Pacific tracks cross Davis Street and Halcyon Drive at street level, with gates. East 14th Street carries AC Transit's Tempo rapid bus. Construction of protected bike lanes on San Leandro Boulevard starts in October 2026.

• East 14th Street and the Tempo bus line

  East 14th Street is State Route 185 and a major road through downtown. Near the Oakland line, Tempo buses use center lanes and a median stop at Durant Avenue. Farther south they run in mixed traffic and turn down Davis Street to the BART station.

• Davis Street rail crossing near Alvarado Street

  Davis Street carries State Route 112, signed as Route 61, west toward I-880 and Doolittle Drive. Near Alvarado Street it crosses Union Pacific tracks at street level. The crossing has four lanes with bike lanes and a gate for each direction.

• Halcyon Drive rail crossing at Washington Avenue

  Halcyon Drive crosses Union Pacific tracks very near its intersection with Washington Avenue. The crossing has four lanes plus two left-turn lanes, with gates in each direction. Never stop on the tracks. Wait until there is room to clear them.

• I-238 between I-580 and I-880

  I-238 is a six-lane freeway that ends at I-880 inside the city. Trucks over 4.5 tons barred from I-580 through Oakland use it and I-880 instead. Caltrans signs it north-south though it runs east-west. At I-580 the southbound exit is on the left.

• San Leandro Boulevard and the East Bay Greenway work zone

  The East Bay Greenway is adding protected bike lanes here. Construction starts in October 2026 and is expected to finish by November 2027. Work covers no more than two blocks in a row at a time. Active work zones have one lane each way.

These roads are good practice for freeway merging and lane changes near trucks on I-238 and I-880. Davis Street and Halcyon Drive are practice for gated railroad crossings. On East 14th Street, practice keeping out of bus lanes. The boulevard work zone calls for early merges and checks for bicyclists.