Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

East Bay Leadership Council offers five reasons to vote yes on Measure J

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The East Bay Leadership Council is proud to endorse Measure J in Contra Costa County and wanted to share a few reasons why we believe it deserves a YES vote on March 3.

1. All the Money Raised Here Stays Here

That may sound simple, but recent transportation funding initiatives have pooled revenue among all nine Bay Area counties and then divvied it up based on a number of factors. In these situations, the East Bay has not always received an equitable share.

Measure J is a chance to raise $103 million per year for Contra Costa County that is guaranteed to go back into our community to ease bottlenecks, improve transit access, and make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

2. Funding for Bus, Bike, and Pedestrian Improvements

If Contra Costa County is ever going to get off the “worst commutes in the nation” lists, then we must make it easier and more efficient for commuters to opt for alternative transportation options like express buses, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian over-crossings.

These investments will ease congestion on our roads and improve air quality. It is one of the reasons why the East Bay Regional Park District, Save the Bay, Bike East Bay, TransForm, and Save Mount Diablo all joined us in support of Measure J.

Did we mention free and reduced fares for students, seniors, and people with disabilities? That too!

3. Innovate 680

If you were a fly on our office wall, you would hear a lot about innovation opportunities on Interstate 680.

Measure J will prioritize this critical commute corridor by helping to get express buses running on the shoulder of the freeway that could connect BART stations to job centers in the Tri-Valley. Other 680 innovations include smart freeway signs and metering lights, express lane extensions, and self-driving shuttles.

There is so much we can do to make commutes on 680 more efficient and Measure J will help us get there.

4. The Economy

We cannot expect businesses to attract and retain employees while Contra Costa County makes headlines for long and inefficient commutes.

Investing in the transportation system is an investment in helping businesses start, stay, and grow in the region. That means more jobs close to home for Contra Costa residents.

5. Matching Funds Get Projects Done

Money raised at the local level will not be enough to pay for every transportation improvement that Contra Costa County needs. The good news is that there are state and federal funds available to help complete important projects.

The secret to winning that funding is that the state and federal government both prefer to contribute the last dollars for a project, not the first.

By raising funds locally first, Contra Costa County will be able to win more grant funding and make more efficient use of every dollar for decades to come.

To learn more about Measure J and its benefits visit www.friendsofcontracostatransportation.org. To learn more about the East Bay Leadership Council visit www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com.

BART schedule change begins today Monday, February 10, 2020

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BART adjusted train schedules, today February 10, 2020 to improve service. The new schedule impacts all lines to some degree, especially first and last trips of the day. Some lines will see service start earlier and some will start a little later. Most changes are small tweaks and will adjust departures and arrivals by only a few minutes, but there are some more significant changes.

Major improvements include the return of two-line service into San Francisco on Sunday, the addition of Fleet of the Future trains on Saturday, earlier weekday train service for many riders, increased peak service for Concord riders in the morning and evening, and later evening direct service from San Francisco into Warm Springs.

Many of our riders plan their arrival times around the specific train they want to catch. We want to make sure all of our riders know about these adjustments in advance, so they are not caught by surprise. Train times have shifted by a few minutes throughout the day.

The new schedule is now available on our Trip Planner  and on the BART (Official) App when you plan a trip on or after 2/10. Also, PDF’s of the current and new schedule timetables can also be found here.

Highlights of service changes:

Weekdays

  • Morning peak-period trains that previously originated or turned back at Pleasant Hill will now originate/turn back at Concord, allowing BART to better serve more riders on this busy line by returning extra service to Concord. In September 2015, BART changed its schedule and these trains went from starting at Concord to starting at Pleasant Hill. Over the years, morning riders looking to target these short run trains because they were less crowded, shifted their origin station to Pleasant Hill. These riders may now opt to begin their trip at Concord once again. Pleasant Hill will still be served by the same number of trains in the morning, but many of them will no longer originate at the station. 3 trains will originate at Pleasant Hill in the 6 am hour. Some PM commute trains will also end at Concord instead of Pleasant Hill. Riders will no longer see “Pleasant Hill” trains on the platform signs, instead they will be “Concord” trains.
  • The first trip from Richmond to Warm Springs (Orange Line) will leave Richmond at 5:04 am—17 minutes earlier than before.
  • The 5:00 am northbound train from South Hayward is now a Warm Springs/Richmond (Orange Line) train to Richmond instead of a Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) train to Daly City.
    • Passengers heading to San Francisco will need to use Dublin/Pleasanton to Daly City (Blue Line) or Antioch/SFO (Yellow Line) trains for the first San Francisco arrivals, arriving in San Francisco 8 minutes later.
  • Service to San Francisco from Warm Springs will be earlier with the first Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) train departing at 5:01 am instead of 5:15 am.
  • We are extending evening direct service on the Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) from Daly City to Warm Springs with an added train departing at 7:12 pm.
  • We have eliminated the morning peak 9:12 am Antioch/SFO (Yellow Line) departure from MacArthur to Daly City to enable the Concord turnback trains to serve more riders.
  • The evening schedule has been adjusted to better accommodate Transbay Tube single-tracking
  • Saturday
  • We’ve added more Fleet of the Future (FOTF) trains—two each on Antioch/SFO (Yellow Line), Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line), and Richmond/Millbrae (Red Line). The Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) will run four FOTF trains, or 50% of our existing FOTF trains.
  • The first northbound Warm Springs/Richmond (Orange Line) train starts in service at Bay Fair at 5:52 am instead of Coliseum at 6:00 am
  • The first westbound Dublin/Pleasanton to Daly City (Blue Line) train starts in service at Bay Fair at 5:58 am instead of Coliseum at 6:06 am.
  • Sunday
  • We will return to two-line service into San Francisco. The Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line) will serve San Francisco (see the map below). Blue line trains will terminate at Montgomery or Daly City depending on the time of day and if there is single tracking. Riders on the Blue Line who are travelling farther south will transfer to a Yellow Line train at Montgomery St.
    • Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) and Richmond/Millbrae (Red Line) trips were eliminated to make way for the return of Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line), service to San Francisco.
  • Headways on Sundays will be every 24 minutes on all lines, four minutes longer than the current Sunday service plan. BART staff believes this service plan will provide greater predictability and resilience in the event of a service delay.
  • Trips to Millbrae will no longer require a transfer at SFO on Sundays.  The Sunday map below still shows the “Purple line,” but with no transfer bubble. The Purple line was re-introduce as a unique line in Feb. 2019, and now all trips between SFO and Millbrae are considered the Purple line- regardless of what train is used to make the trip.  The Sunday trains will be labelled as “SFO/Millbrae” bound trains on platform signs and we will make on board announcements so Sunday riders know they don’t need to transfer at SFO to a Millbrae train.  The concept of showing two separate lines, but offering a one-seat trip with no transfer, is called “interlining.” The train switches from one route to another.  BART plans to use this concept moving forward for the Purple line to allow us to be flexible with how we operate this segment of service while keeping the map simple, without added annotations, and consistent.
  • The first northbound train is Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line), leaves 24th St/Mission at 7:50 am, and Civic Center at 7:54 am (instead of 8:04 am)
  • The first northbound train on Warm Springs/Richmond (Orange Line) will start at South Hayward at 7:54am and arrive at Coliseum at 8:10am. (Previously it started at Coliseum at 8:09 am)

 

Contra Costa Taxpayers Association: vote no on Measure J transportation sales tax increase

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Dear Editor:

The chief selling point to Measure J on the March 3 ballot is to “reduce congestion”, a laughably empty promise. The 75 words on the ballot create a smokescreen for a 1/2% sales tax increase.

Measure J allots $148 million to BART, who has their own mega-budget and a long history of wastefulness. Only Contra Costa would shoulder the additional tax to be handed over to BART with no assurance that Contra Costa would benefit.

This measure contains hiring restrictions that will drive up costs of taxpayer-funded projects. It requires that all apprenticeship labor must come from certain politically favored sources, rather than the largest qualified pool of applicants. Construction labor short supply due to recent wildfire rebuilding efforts. As a result, projects everywhere are currently facing massive cost overruns. This is the wrong time to impose even further hiring restrictions.

Residents may see signs on the highway referencing Measure J for current projects. This refers to a Measure J generously passed by voters in 2004. The suspicious letter designation is confusing, but clearly this is not the same. This is an additional increase for 35 years.

We encourage a no vote on Measure J.

Susan L Pricco

President, Contra Costa Taxpayers Association

BART fares to increase January 1

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A 5.4% inflation-based fare increase will take effect on January 1, 2020 as part of a program first approved by the BART Board in 2003 and renewed for a second series in 2013.

For a short trip like Downtown Berkeley to 19th St./Oakland, the Clipper fare will increase by 10 cents, and a longer trip like Antioch to Montgomery will increase by 40 cents.

View the new fare chart. The Trip Planner and Fare Calculator will be updated with these new fares before December 13, 2019. The fare charts at stations will be swapped out just prior to January 1.

Paper ticket fares will continue to have a 50 cent per trip surcharge. Riders are encouraged to use Clipper and save.

All new revenue from this fare increase goes to BART’s highest priority capital needs including new rail cars, a new train control system to provide more frequent service and an expanded maintenance facility.

According to a KRON4 news report, “For example, if you go from Lafayette and get off at the Embarcadero station, a one-way ticket will cost you $5.30.

From Antioch to Embarcadero, that ticket will cost you $7.90.

Another example – south Fremont to Embarcadero is $7.10.

Dublin to the same station will be $6.60.”

Fare Increase is Based on Inflation

To help fund the BART system’s extensive capital needs, BART has an inflation-based fare increase program adopted by the Board of Directors that raises fares every other year at a rate .5% less than inflation for the previous 2-year period.

It is important fares keep up with inflation because BART is not heavily subsidized by the government and we rely on fares for two-thirds of our operating budget.   We are working very hard to improve the rider experience with stepped up cleaning efforts, additional police presence to keep you safe, and new solutions to address the Bay Area’s homeless crisis and the impact on our system.

This is the last of four biennial fare increases called for under the 2013 series. The BART Board has approved a third series of inflation-based fare increases that will go into effect in 2022, 2024 and 2026.  This latest series will follow the same inflation-based formula as the previous increases.

Means-Based Fare Discount Pilot

BART will participate in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Regional Means-Based Fare Discount Pilot Program expected to begin in early 2020. The program will offer a 20% discount per trip to adult riders earning 200% or less of the federal poverty level.

Get Clipper

Clipper has many advantages over paper tickets:

BART is working to move toward a Clipper-only fare payment system because the region has prioritized the use of Clipper as the Bay Area’s all-in-one transit card administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Clipper has many advantages over paper tickets:

  • Clipper saves money. Adult paper tickets have a 50 cents surcharge on every trip, which equals $1.00 per round trip. With a one-time acquisition fee of $3.00 for a Clipper card, it pays for itself in just 3 roundtrips.
  • In addition to the 50-cent per trip savings on BART, customers who use Clipper also pay less on Muni, Golden Gate Transit buses and ferries, San Francisco Bay Ferry, AC Transit and Caltrain.
  • Clipper is tourist-friendly as it offers discounts on various transit agencies while eliminating the need to purchase and carry multiple fare products from different agencies.
  • Clipper is reusable and long-lasting, unlike paper tickets that get worn and tattered.
  • Clipper is accepted by nearly all transit agencies in the region. Many other agencies offer discounted fares when using Clipper.
  • Riders can set up their Clipper card account to reload automatically so they won’t have to wait in line.
  • The loaded value on the Clipper card is secure when it’s registered. If you lose the card, the balance can be replaced for a nominal fee.
  • Your Clipper card can be linked to your BART EZ Rider parking account for a fast and easy way to pay for BART parking. Once you have Clipper, go tohttps://ezrider.bart.gov/ezrider/ and follow the instructions to link the card to our parking program and then simply tap your Clipper at parking validation machines.
  • The tag in and out system allows Clipper card users to move through fare gates faster.
  • Clipper cards can be purchased at every BART station and at many retail outlets throughout the region.
  • Paper tickets can jam our fare gates, so Clipper usage means more open fare gates, shorter lines and less fare gate maintenance.
  • Clipper usage reduces the paper waste of the magstripe tickets in the BART system.

Supervisors set stage for adopting anti-vaping ordinance at next meeting

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Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors recognized the men and women who served in the armed forces on Tuesday by passing a resolution recognizing Veterans Day, November 11. Supervisors presented an enlarged version of the proclamation during a ceremony in which United States Air Force Veteran Jeffrey (Jeff) Jewell, who has retired as the Concord Vet Center Director, spoke to veterans who have served various military operations such as World war II, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and other confrontations. Jewell, far right, served in the United States Air Force from 1973 to 1981 with two tours at Travis Air Force Base and on tour at Yokota Air Force Base in Japan as a crew chief on C5-A’s. Jewell has been the Concord Vet Center director since 2014, He joined the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2001. He is a 5th District Commander for the American Legion. He holds the following degrees with honors: Associate of Arts in Business, Solano Community College: Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations, Golden Gate University; Master’s in Public Administration, Human Resource Management, Golden Gate University, Master of Arts, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Chapman University. At the ceremony were from left, Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood, Chair John Gioia of Richmond, Vice Chair Candace Andersen of Danville, Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill, Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg, and Jeffrey (Jeff) Jewell. Photo by Daniel Borsuk.

Place half-cent transportation sales tax measure on March 2020 ballot

By Daniel Borsuk

County supervisors are hopping aboard the bandwagon in banning the sale of any e-liquid or electronic smoking device in unincorporated Contra Costa County.

Supervisors voted 5-0 voted on Tuesday to set the stage to formally adopt an ordinance next week that will outlaw the retail sale of e-liquid flavored smoking devices within 1,000 feet from a school, park or library at the supervisors’ upcoming November 19 meeting.

The ordinance also inserts limitations on the delivery of cannabis-related e-devices in unincorporated Contra Costa County.

The supervisors’ action means Contra Costa County will join an expanding number of California counties including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Mateo that have already adopted laws banning the sale of e-cigarettes that have killed three Californians while some 151 related medical cases have been reported around the Golden State, Dr. Chris Fonataano of the Contra Costa Health Services reported. More than 800 cases and 12 deaths across 46 states have been reported by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

Since 2019, the City Councils of San Pablo, Lafayette, Richmond and Oakley have passed laws banning the sales of e-cigarettes within city limits.

The rising health concerns about e-cigarettes at the national level has financially hit the e-cigarette industry. Major e-cigarette maker Juul Labs on Monday announced it is cutting about 650 jobs, or about 16 percent of its total workforce because of the national pullback on its products, especially its most popular flavors mint and mango flavored pods, in the U.S.

During the public hearing, where Board Chair John Gioia discretionarily decided to cut speaker time fifty percent to one minute per speaker in order to accommodate the supervisors’ annual Veterans Day ceremony scheduled at 11 a.m., 45 speakers, many from middle and high schools, shared stories about how fellow students have become hooked to e-devices in restrooms or anywhere they can sneak in a smoke.

Mt. Diablo High School student Dominique Vine complained that vaping is a serious problem at his school. “The air is contaminated,” he complained.

“It is my understanding that this proposed ordinance would help improve public health and continue the positive work the county has historically done to combat youth tobacco usage,” said Congressman Mark DeSaulnier in a written statement read by District Director Shanelle Scales-Preston.

Lafayette City Councilwoman Susan Kendall encouraged supervisors to pass the ordinance. Adopt this ordinance. You are the right body to do this. Lafayette is an island that none of its neighboring cities have addressed.”

The new ordinance will also impose new retail delivery standards on cannabis products from about 84 retail locations in unincorporated Contra Costa County, which is a priority issue of Vice Chair Candace Andersen of Danville, who has previously overseen tough protections on cannabis deliveries in the county.

“We are providing an additional layer of protection to residents wanting this kind of service,” Supervisor Andersen told the Contra Costa Herald.

The new ordinance states:

A – The delivery of more than eight hundred milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol in the form of edible    cannabis products to a single cannabis customer in a single day is prohibited.

B – The delivery of any cannabis product listed in Title 17, California Code of Regulations, section

40300, is prohibited.

C – The delivery of any flavored cannabis product for which the primary use is human inhalation of the gases, particles, vapors, or byproducts released as a result of combustion, electrical ignition, or vaporization of the flavored cannabis product, is prohibited.”

Support Half-Cent Sales Tax for Transportation Ballot Measure

Supervisors voted to place a half-cent sales tax measure on the March 2020 ballot for transportation. Contra Costa County voters will get a chance to vote up or down on a half-cent sales tax measure to raise $103 million a year for local transportation annually for 35 years. The tax measure will be placed on the March 3, 2020 ballot and will be spent for only county road or transit projects. The state cannot take the funds. See how the funds will be spent, here – Draft 2020 Transportation Expenditure Plan

The purpose of the half cent sales tax is to reduce congestion and fix bottlenecks on highways and major roads, make commutes faster and more predictable, improve the frequency, reliability, accessibility, cleanliness and safety of buses, ferries, and BART; improve air quality and repave roads.

Animal Service Fees Hiked

Starting in 2020, Contra Costa residents wanting to adopt cats or dogs or other veterinary services from the county’s Animal Services Department will have to dig deeper into their wallets.

Supervisors unanimously approved new Animal Services Department fees that have not been increased since 2008.

No one spoke either against or in favor of the fee increases that vary all over the map from a 2% rise to spaying a dog over 100 pounds from $195 to $199 to spaying a dog less than 20 pounds to $121, a 29% increase of $27.

“The average cost to care for an animal made available for adoption for the Animal Services Department is $908.21,” stated the report prepared by Animal Services Director Beth Ward. “These costs are based on an average length of stay of 30 days and includes the cost of daily care, basic medical care and spay/neuter to prepare an animal for adoption.

New adoption fees for a dog are $155 (age of dog), $135 (puppies under six months), $85 dogs over six years), $5 (senior citizens over 65 years of age or dogs over six years old). New adoption fees for cats are $120 (age of cat), $100 (kittens under four months), $55, (cats over six years), senior citizens (over 65 years of age) adopting cats over 6 years old $5.

2018 Agriculture Production Down 10 Percent

Agricultural crop production in the county declined 10% last year, according to a report submitted by Agricultural Commissioner Director of Weights and Measures Matt Slattengren. Supervisors approved the report as a consent item.

“The total gross value of agricultural crops in 2018 was $208,556,338, a decline of $11,884,662 or 10% from 2017. In general, demand and prices have remained strong from agricultural crops in Contra Costa County,” wrote Slattengren in his report submitted to California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Contra Costa Count Board of Supervisors.

Slattengren cited a decrease of 27 percent of vegetable and seed crop values because of rainy weather and market conditions for the decline.

Rodeo’s Lefty Gomez Community Center Fee Increase

Supervisors will consider an increase in rental rates for the use of the Lefty Gomez Community Center facilities in Rodeo at their meeting on Dec. 19. Fees have not been increased in 16 years. The fees for rental use of the center, restrooms, and security guard have not kept up with current maintenance and energy costs.

The Public Works Department requested that renters of the facility obtain insurance with coverage of $1 million of liability coverage. The department also has imposed a specific prohibition against the use of inflatable jumpers.

BART officers, Management Association demand apology from Board Director for undermining law enforcement efforts over man eating sandwich on platform

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Steven Foster being detained by a BART police officer for eating a sandwich on the Pleasant Hill BART Station platform and placed in handcuffs for resisting arrest. Photos from Foster’s Facebook page.

Claim Director Li encourages public to violate the law

OAKLAND, CA (Nov. 11, 2019) The head of the BART police officers’ association and leaders of the BART police management team are demanding an apology from BART director Janice Li for participating in an anti-police protest on a train platform and encouraging the public to violate the law.

Li was among a group of people who participated in an eat-in protest on the Embarcadero platform Saturday that questioned the authority of BART police to enforce state law and the BART code of conduct — both of which make clear that it is illegal to have food or drink in the paid areas of BART.

Li participated in the staged event even though the BART code of conduct she was protesting was approved by her own board of directors and calls for police to intervene in the event a person refuses to cooperate.

“Li is undermining the authority of BART police by advocating lawlessness and making our job as law enforcement officers that much harder,” said Keith Garcia, president of the BART Police Officers Association. Garcia was joined in his demand for an apology by BART Police Managers Association President Jason Ledford. “BART directors approved a list of infractions and misdemeanors, now Li is ridiculing police for enforcing those very rules. Our officers deserve greater respect.”

The protest was staged in response to a video of a man on the BART Pleasant Hill platform who became belligerent and combative when approached by a BART officer who requested that he not eat inside the pay gates.

“We talk to people 100 times a day about not eating on the platform or the train and the vast majority of the time they’re understanding and simply stop what they’re doing,” Garcia said. “This person apparently had an ax to grind with police.”

Garcia noted that the video widely distributed on social media does not show many important details of the incident, including how it began.

“Our officer was at the station on a separate call when he ran into the suspect in this case, who was on the platform eating a sandwich,” Garcia said. “Our officer said to him, ‘Just a reminder there is no eating on BART,’ and the subject responded, ‘I’m not on BART, I can eat wherever the f— I want.’

“Our officer then tells him that eating is not allowed anywhere in the paid areas, including the platform. And the subject responds, ’F— you, I ain’t doing nothing wrong,’ and continues to eat the sandwich directly in the officer’s face.”

When the officer asked the suspect for identification in order to write a citation for violating state law, the man refused to comply and continued to curse at the officer. The officer then requested back up.

Refusing to provide ID and being uncooperative with law enforcement is a misdemeanor. Nonetheless, the man was released after a brief detention and given only a citation.

“Our officer should be applauded for his professionalism and restraint, and for enforcing the rules that have been approved by the directors,” Ledford said. “The public has told us time and again that they’re concerned about the lawlessness on BART. Director Li should apologize to the department for not allowing our officers to do the job the public deserves.”

 

BART General Manager issues statement about man cited for eating on platform

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Bob Powers, from his LinkedIn profile.

BART General Manager Bob Powers issued the following statement on Monday, Nov. 11:

“Moving 415,000 riders each day comes with complexities and there are laws in place to keep our system safe, welcoming, and clean.

I’ve seen the video of the incident involving a man eating on our platform and our police response.  Eating in the paid area is banned and there are multiple signs inside every station saying as much.  As a transportation system our concern with eating is related to the cleanliness of our stations and system. This was not the case in the incident at Pleasant Hill station on Monday. (See video on KRON4 news report)

The officer asked the rider not to eat while he was on the platform responding to another call.  It should have ended there, but it didn’t.  Mr. Foster did not stop eating and the officer moved forward with the process of issuing him a citation.* The individual refused to provide identification, cursed at and made homophobic slurs at the officer who remained calm through out the entire engagement.

The officer was doing his job but context is key. Enforcement of infractions such as eating and drinking inside our paid area should not be used to prevent us from delivering on our mission to provide safe, reliable, and clean transportation. We have to read each situation and allow people to get where they are going on time and safely.

Steven Foster being detained by a BART police officer for eating a sandwich on the Pleasant Hill BART Station platform and placed in handcuffs for resisting arrest. Photos from Foster’s Facebook page.

I’m disappointed how the situation unfolded.  I apologize to Mr. Foster, our riders, employees, and the public who have had an emotional reaction to the video.

I’ve spoken to our interim Police Chief about my feelings related to this incident and our Independent Police Auditor is conducting an independent investigation.  He will report his findings to our Citizen Review Board.”

*This statement was amended at 4pm on November 11 to remove the part about the officer passing by and walking by again. The officer involved clarified to staff he didn’t walk by because the platform was too crowded.  The statement originally stated: “The officer asked the rider not to eat while passing by on another call.  It should have ended there, but it didn’t. When the officer walked by again and still saw him eating, he moved forward with the process of issuing him a citation.” The statement was updated to read: The officer asked the rider not to eat while he was on the platform responding to another call.  It should have ended there, but it didn’t.  Mr. Foster did not stop eating and the officer moved forward with the process of issuing him a citation.

Weekend BART delays between Orinda and Walnut Creek 8/17-18, bus bridge, and Highway 24 lane closures

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There will be no single-tracking or track closures due to this project for the weekend of August 10-11.  However, there will be overnight lane closures on eastbound Highway 24 near the Lafayette Station.  You can get more details here. The first weekend track shutdown between Orinda and Walnut Creek stations is scheduled for the weekend of August 17-18.

We are making extensive repairs and upgrades to the track between Orinda and Walnut Creek stations on most weekends through October, including some upcoming full weekend closures with bus bridges.   Using Measure RR funds, we’ll be replacing track and electrical equipment, installing new switches, improving station platforms, and making other repairs and improvements to provide more reliable, safer, quieter, smoother and faster service.

Closure weekends: 8/17-18, 8/31-9/2 (Labor Day Weekend), 9/14-15, 9/28-29, 10/12-13, 10/26-27

Riders should expect delays of 40 minutes or more on closure weekends.

County Connection and AC Transit will provide free shuttle bus services:

  1.    Direct service between Orinda and Walnut Creek
  2.   Service between Orinda, Lafayette, and Walnut Creek stations.

Single-Tracking
Single-tracking on some Saturdays will mean delays of up to 30 minutes. Please plan your trip with that in mind. We will single-track on 7/27, 8/3, 8/24, 9/7, 9/21, and 10/19.  We may need to turn back some trains at Orinda to maintain our schedule. If so, you will be asked to leave the train you are on and board a different train to reach your destination.

Highway 24 Lane Closures

On select weekends including single-tracking Saturdays, we plan to close the two eastbound lanes on the far-left side of Highway 24 near the Lafayette Station and Oak Hill Road to allow equipment and material to be placed near and in our tracks. The next lane closure is scheduled for 11 pm Friday August 9 and will continue until 7 am Saturday August 10.  The two eastbound lanes of 24 will also be closed Saturday August 10 at 11pm until 9 am Sunday August 11.

Lane closures for single-tracking Saturdays will only happen during overnight hours from 11 pm Friday to 7 am Saturday and 11pm Saturday to 9 am Sunday.  All lane closures will happen near the Lafayette Station at Oak Hill Road.

Night Work

We will also do work at night after service closes on weeknights through at least the end of October.

Sunday single tracking in San Francisco

On select Sundays through the rest of this year, there will be single-track service between the Embarcadero and 24th Street Mission stations in downtown San Francisco due to electrical cabling replacement work.  This replacement project is critical to ensure our trains can count on a reliable power supply. The work can add 15-30 minutes to your trip. Get the latest on this project here.

Use the Trip Planner, call the BART Transit Information Center at (510) 465-BART (2278), or get the Official BART app to plan your trip.

Please tell CCTA: East County needs freeway from Brentwood to Tracy for long term economic growth

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The Contra Costa Transportation Authority is holding Telephone Town Hall Meetings to inform the public of the Initial Draft 2020 Transportation Expenditure Plan (TEP) and get their input before finalizing the plan and placing another tax measure on the March 2020 ballot to fund it. The meeting for East County will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 8 (see previous post on this website, below)

The plan (www.ccta.net/theplan) currently has a total price tag of $3.061 billion and the tax is in addition to the county’s current half-cent sales tax for transportation from Measure J, which voters approved in 2004 and expires in 2034. The new tax would last until 2050. The CCTA attempted to pass a similar additional half-cent sales tax in 2016, known as Measure X, but it failed. The only new section of roadway in the entire county in that plan was the $117 million “limited access” connector   between Vasco Road and the Byron Highway, next to the Byron Airport. Voters overwhelmingly voted against the measure and it failed.

Fortunately, that project was included in the Regional Measure 3 expenditure plan which did pass. But, RM3 didn’t include the long-planned Route 239, the proposed four-lane freeway between Brentwood and Tracy, which will connect East County to Interstate 5, the economic lifeblood artery of the state.

That road has been on the books for over 60 years. But, planning for it only began in 2013 as part of what was known as the TriLink Project, as it crossed the three counties of Contra Costa, San Joaquin and a sliver of Alameda, and was to also include two lines of transit down the middle, connecting the end of the BART line in East County to Tracy.

However, the TriLink Project website is no longer active and neither the four-lane freeway nor the transit lines are included in Contra Costa County’s plans for the next 30 years.

Yet, it’s Route 239 that will ensure East County’s long-term economic viability, allowing current businesses, including agriculture, to get their products to market quicker. Plus, it will open up our area for greater local job creation, and complete what I refer to as the beltway around Mt. Diablo, eliminating the cul-de-sac effect with the three two-lane roads connecting us to the east and south.

Antioch and East County have the freight rail connecting us to the east and west, plus the river connecting us to the world, to move goods. But we only have Highway 4 and BART connecting us to the west for moving people and goods.

Central County folks oppose Route 239 saying it will “induce growth in East County.” But they’ve been saying that for almost 50 years about every new road improvement, including the Hwy 4 Bypass/extension, which we had to fight for over four years from 1994-98 to just get approvals, not any money. In fact, it was that same mindset that prevented Hwy 24 from being extended to East County back in the 1970’s and the result is a surface road with the three names of Ygnacio Valley Road, Kirker Pass and Railroad Avenue, today.

I grew up in Walnut Creek and moved to Antioch because it was more affordable. In fact out of all us who attended the 35th reunion of the Northgate High School Class of ’81 in 2016, only four classmates still lived in Walnut Creek. Where did many move to? East County. So, as I said to my fellow elected officials when I was on a panel during a transportation conference back in the late 1990’s when I was serving on the Antioch City Council and Contra Costa Transportation Authority, don’t blame us for the growth. They had kids and we needed somewhere to live that we could afford. That was when East County was pushing for funding and approvals for Highway 4 widening and the Highway 4 bypass/extension. We received it and those projects are now completed.

It’s time we completed the transportation infrastructure in East County and Route 239 is a key part of it.

Besides, that road won’t induce residential growth. We have the Urban Limit Line to control that. But it will induce economic growth with more local jobs, which is what East County needs.

We need both Route 239 and the transit link between Antioch and Tracy. But, for now, let’s push for funds for the freeway to be included in the county’s new plan. Estimates are it will cost an additional $1 billion. I say add it to the total and let the voters decide.

We need bold leadership from our local elected officials and the voice of “we the people” to make it happen.