The steps from Joncaire Street up to the Frick Art Museum have been recently rebuilt and are in near perfect condition.

These steps are on-grade and as I understand it required extensive engineering and deep footings to build due to the continuing shifting nature of this slope.

These steps feature a bike track that allows cyclists to roll their bicycle as they climb or descend the steps.  These steps are wider than most city steps and railing that will not allow a pedestrian to pass between the bars onto the slope.  I do not know why these railings are painted black, instead of the typical city green color.

In terms of design, they are attractive as city steps go, if a bit dull.  These steps should serve the residents of Oakland well for many years to come.

These steps are simply gone.

According to the city database these steps went from Hodge Street to Mackey Street in Oakland.

The materials they were constructed of were wood and asphalt.

Visiting the site, what I can guess is that the wood has rotted away or been removed when the street was repaved.  All that is left now are some remnants of the asphalt that must have made up the surface of each step.  Talking with one resident, I was told that there was also an iron railing along these steps, also gone.

At this time I don’t see the point in rebuilding these steps.  When I walked from Hodge to Mackey, I just walked in the street.  It is a steep curve, but I encountered no cars.  There are only five residences on Mackey Street, although it is clear that there were more at one time.

I think the reason that these steps were built was to replace the pedestrian transportation route that went from 2nd Avenue up to the residences of Oakland.  These curved steps led up to Mackey, there are steps from Mackey up to Lawn Street, and there is a railing on the steep lower end of Lawn Street up to where it levels off.

From the age and deterioration of these steps from Hodge to Mackey I can guess that this route was built at the time that Route I376 was built.  Prior to that time Lawn Street continued down to Hodge Street down a city steps that must have existed at that time.  There is a short section of these city steps left at the top of Hodge Street that now abruptly end in one resident’s back yard.  The back edge of that person’s backyard now drops off dangerously steeply down to I376.

The question is, how valuable is this route?  If Lawn Street connected directly with Hodge Street this would be a useful route to travel.  Currently the wooden stairs at the bottom of Lawn Street to Mackey are in such bad repair they are almost impassible.  I can guess that even when those steps were in better condition, few people ever used these wood and asphalt steps from Mackey down to Hodge Street, they just walked on the paved road.  Although I do advocate for the wooden Lawn to Mackey steps to be replaced with more permanent concrete steps.  I see no reason why these wood and asphalt steps need to be rebuilt.

The steps from Mackey St to Lawn St in Oakland are in serious need of repair.  These steps are made of wood, and have over the years deteriorated and shifted.  The wooden stair treads have been replaced in many places, but now the supports that these treads are resting on are rotting away.  They are missing handrails in places and are overgrown with vegetation.

These steps are in daily use by the Postal service who use them to deliver mail to the residents of Mackey Street and are dangerous to use.  If these steps were in better condition they would serve as an improved connection for residents of Oakland to the South Side and the Eliza Furnace bike trail.

My recommendation is that these steps be replaced with permanent concrete steps that include a bicycle rail.

Missing railing and overgrown by vegetation.

Steps tilting and rotting step supports.

Lawn Street steps from top, missing railing, shaky and tilted stairs.