Contra Costa Herald

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

Feds terminate almost $1 billion grant for California High-Speed Rail project

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Photo courtesy of CAHSR.

By Allen Payton

On Thursday, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) terminated the 2010 grant of $928.62 million to the California High-Speed Rail Authority, due to the new governor’s plans to scale back the project and the failure of the authority to deliver the project within the timeframe originally projected.

The FRA issued the following statement regarding the matter:

“After careful consideration, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has terminated Cooperative Agreement No. FR-HSR-0118-12-01-01 (the FY10 Agreement) with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), and will deobligate the $928,620,000 in funding under that agreement.  The decision follows FRA’s Notice of Intent to Terminate and consideration of the information provided by CHSRA on March 4, 2019. FRA finds that CHSRA has repeatedly failed to comply with the terms of the FY10 Agreement and has failed to make reasonable progress on the Project.  Additionally, California has abandoned its original vision of a high-speed passenger rail service connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, which was essential to its applications for FRA grant funding. FRA continues to consider all options regarding the return of $2.5 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds awarded to CHSRA.”

The action was in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement during his State of the State speech in February, in which he outlined his administration’s plans to scale back the project, and threats to revoke the funds from President Trump.

“[L]et’s level about High-Speed Rail. The project, as currently planned, would cost too much and take too long,” Newsom stated. “There’s been too little oversight and not enough transparency. Right now, there simply isn’t a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to LA. I wish there were. However, we do have the capacity to complete a high-speed rail link between Merced and Bakersfield.”

In addition to the FRA’s statement, FRA Administrator Ronald Batory sent a scathing letter to Brian Kelly, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, detailing the reasons for the revocation of the funds. CHSRA – FRA Ltr 5-16-2019

“FRA has determined that CHSRA has violated the terms of the FY 10 Agreement and consistently failed to make reasonable progress on the Project. Despite FRA’ s identification of Project issues, and the ample time provided to CHSRA to take appropriate remedial actions, CHSRA instead chose delay and inaction,” Batory wrote in conclusion. “In FRA’s view, there is nothing in FRA’ s long working relationship with CHSRA to suggest that CHSRA would likely be able to initiate and complete the necessary corrective actions, if given yet another opportunity. Finally, the dramatically reduced scope of California’ s current plan for its HSR System is simply not consistent with the Project as CHSRA proposed in its applications for Federal financial assistance on the Project. For these reasons, and those set forth in this decision, FRA has determined to terminate the FYlO Agreement, effective today, and will deobligate the associated funds.”

To see all the related documents related to the termination of the grant, click here.

Maintenance work on Vasco Road May 28-30

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Contra Costa County Public Works Department will perform roadwork on Vasco Road from Camino Diablo Road to the Alameda County line. The roadwork will occur from Tuesday through Thursday, May 28-30 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

The roadwork will consist of replacing the delineators, debris removal and street sweeping. The purpose of the delineators is to increase driver awareness and safety when travelling through this commute corridor. The work may be rescheduled based on weather conditions. Electronic message boards will alert drivers of the scheduled work. There will be traffic control through the work area and drivers can expect delays.

Construction on Kirker Pass Road truck climbing lane project to begin May 13

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Kirker Pass Road truck climbing lane project. By CCC Public Works.

Contra Costa County Public Works will begin construction on the Kirker Pass Road Northbound Truck Climbing Lane Project. The project will improve safety and reduce congestion along Kirker Pass Road from the Concord Pavilion to the northern Hess Road intersection by constructing a truck climbing lane in the northbound direction. Pavement widening will occur on the east side of the roadway to provide a 12-foot truck lane and eight-foot paved shoulder. Widening will require construction of six retaining walls adjacent to the roadway. The project also includes paving both the north and southbound lanes between the City of Concord/County limits to approximately 4,200 feet north of North Hess Road.

Construction will begin on Monday, May 13, 2019, with completion in the Spring of 2020, barring unforeseen circumstances. Construction operations will be scheduled to minimize impacts to commute traffic.

Funding for this project is provided by Measure J, State Transportation Improvement Program, State Match, Local Streets and Road Program, and gas tax revenues provided by the SB1 Road Repair and Accountability Act. More information for this project can be found at http://www.cccounty.us/pwdmap.

Marsh Creek Road closed from Clayton city limits to Morgan Territory Road

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By Steve Padilla, Director Contra Costa County Public Works Department

March 6, 2019, Clayton, CA – Marsh Creek Road is closed in both directions, between the Clayton City limits and Morgan Territory Road due to rock and mud slides.  We anticipate re-opening the road by early afternoon. Please take alternative routes to avoid this area.

Annual Redefining Mobility Summit to highlight latest trends in transportation technology in San Ramon Friday

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The Contra Costa Transportation Authority will host government and industry leaders to discuss cutting edge transportation technology; Six start-ups competing for $10,000 prize money

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) will host the fifth annual Redefining Mobility Summit on Friday, March 8th in San Ramon. The Redefining Mobility Summit brings together government and industry leaders to discuss how innovative research and cutting edge technology are revolutionizing transportation.

What:      Redefining Mobility Summit

Who:       Industry leaders speaking about the future of Connected Vehicle/Autonomous Vehicle technology

When:     Friday, March 8, 2018 from 8:15am-4:45pm

Where:    Roundhouse Conference Center, 2600 Camino Ramon, Suite 100 San Ramon, CA  94583

A complete list of speakers is available here.

A brief overview of the schedule and highlighted speakers is below:
8:15am: A roundtable with transportation innovators around the world including Japan, Canada, Spain and Australia and New Zealand.

10:00am: Keynote speaker, Anousheh Ansari, Co-founder and Executive Chairwoman of Prodea Systems, space explorer, and serial entrepreneuer.

10:45am: A panel on the latest and safest self-driving car innovations from AAA and AV technology developers featuring Ignacio Garcia, VP, Autonomous Vehicle Strategy – AAA NCNU; Alan Jowett – VP of Business Development – Ottopia and others.
1:00pm: Six transportation start-ups competing for $10,000 to help them on their quest to redefine mobility including Route Reports; Detecterra; Smart Edge; Traffic Patterns;  Allvision IO; and EVSEE.

2:30pm: The future of freight, moderated by California Transportation Commission Chair Fran Inman and featuring Jonny Morris, Head of Public Policy, Embark and Paul Konasewich, Director of Business Development, PACCAR Silicon Valley Innovation Center, and others.

3:30pm: A panel on the dynamic nature of urban mobility with Ali Mortazavi; the director of Nissan R&D and AI Sohier Hall, President/CEO of Luum; Hugo Fozzati Director of Business & Operations for AutoX and others focused on shifting transportation’s mindset from thinking about moving cars to moving people.

4:45pm: Closing Remarks & Announcement of Start-up Pitch Winner About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.

Frazier supports Gov. Newsom’s announcements on high speed rail, Delta Tunnels

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Assemblyman Jim Frazier

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay), chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, released the following statements on Tuesday after California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his first State of the State Address before a joint session of the Legislature.

“Governor Newsom inherited a high-speed rail project that is a mess. He showed he is ready to step up and take the reins as a leader, recognizing there needs to be wholesale changes. I appreciate his realistic and common-sense approach to this project.

The governor also has a soft spot in his heart for the intellectually and developmentally disabled and recognizes that we need to step up our game to better support the special needs community.”

The governor also announced he will appoint a new member to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors, with the expectation the new appointee will become chair. Frazier responded with the following statement:

“I applaud the decision to appoint Lenny Mendonca to the High-Speed Rail Authority Board with the governor’s intention that Mendonca become chairman. An investigation by State Auditor Elaine Howle revealed a pattern of repeated failures at the Authority, under the direction of current Chairman Dan Richard, with hundreds of millions in cost overruns and a lack of honesty and transparency. That is just one reason I have been advocating for a change in leadership. I have high hopes for Mr. Mendonca to lead the High-Speed Rail Authority to complete the scaled down project the governor outlined in his State of the State Address today. A change of leadership at the HSRA was long overdue.”

Regarding Newsom’s announcement on scaling back the twin Delta tunnels to a single tunnel project, Frazier, whose district encompasses a large portion of the Delta, issued the following statement:

“I’m grateful Governor Newsom has been willing to listen to local stakeholders in the battle for the future of the Delta. His unequivocal denunciation of the twin tunnels project is a step in the right direction. I look forward to working with the governor to convince him there are alternative water delivery solutions that are economical and can be delivered in a timely manner, nullifying the need for even a single tunnel.”

Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.

First segment of 680/Hwy 4 Interchange Improvement Project breaks ground

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State and local elected officials join Contra Costa Transportation Authority Executive Director Randy Iwasaki (2nd from left) to break ground on improvements to the Interstate 680/State Route 4 Interchange Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Photo by CCTA.

One of the largest SB-1- funded capital projects to break ground in the State of California  

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the start of construction on the first phase of a multi-phased project to improve safety and help reduce congestion at the Interstate-680/State Route 4 Interchange in central Contra Costa County. The initial phase of construction involves widening a four-mile segment of State Route 4 in both directions between Morello Avenue in Martinez and State Route 242.  This phase of work also involves the replacement of the Grayson Creek Bridge to bring it up to current State bridge safety codes.

“Improving the I-680/SR4 Interchange has been a priority for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority for many years,” said CCTA Board Chair Federal Glover. “Thanks to an infusion of Senate Bill 1 funds from the State, we are able to take this first, important step in improving safety at this critical interchange.” The total cost for improving this segment is approximately $136 million.
“For too many years we have neglected our infrastructure, and as a result Californians spend too much time in traffic, too much money on car repairs, and far too little time with their friends and families,” said Assemblymember Grayson. “I have been working for over two years with the California Transportation Commission and Contra Costa Transportation Authority to fund and break ground on this long-awaited project so that our community can spend less time sitting in traffic and more time doing what they enjoy.”

“This project will reduce the travel time for the more than 100,000 people who drive this corridor each day, and is a key piece of an ambitious regional improvement plan,” said Caltrans District 4 Director Tony Tavares. “The funding from Senate Bill 1 is enabling Caltrans and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to rebuild California’s highways.”

The Interstate 680/State Route 4 Interchange Improvement Project will widen approximately four miles of State Route 4 by adding a third lane in the eastbound and westbound directions to improve on-ramp and off-ramp merging.  The project also includes widening of five structures, extending eastbound State Route 4’s carpool lane approximately two miles, installation of safety lighting, and replacement of the Grayson Creek Bridge. Over 50 years old, the Grayson Creek Bridge has exceeded its serviceable life.

Breaking ground for this segment of work in this multi-phased project will lay the groundwork for future improvements to connector ramps, improve traffic safety and enhance traffic flow.

Interstate 680 serves as the main artery for motorists traveling through central Contra Costa County, connecting it with Solano County to the north and Alameda and Santa Clara counties to the south. State Route 4 serves as the only major east-west transportation link joining the communities of Antioch, Bay Point, Pittsburg and Brentwood with central and western Contra Costa County and the Bay Area. The I-680/SR 4 Interchange Improvement project will widen four miles of State Route 4 by adding a third lane in the eastbound and westbound directions and improve on-ramp and off-ramp merging actions. The project also includes widening of five structures, installation of safety lighting, and replacement of the Grayson Creek Bridge. This project will lay the groundwork for future improvements to connector ramps, improve traffic safety and enhance traffic flow.

New subsidy program fuels Bay Area vanpooling

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Photo courtesy of MTC.

Program usage surged 23 percent last month

For drivers frustrated with a long, grueling commute, it’s never been a better time to look into vanpooling, thanks to the new Bay Area Vanpool Program, which provides direct subsidies to both new and existing vanpools.  A $9.5 million commitment approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in July 2018 allows qualifying vanpools that rent their vehicles through Commute With Enterprise, a service of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, to reduce the cost of their van rates by $350 a month, initially for the next five years.

More than 500 commute vanpools currently operate in the nine-county Bay Area, and MTC hopes the subsidy will grow the fleet to more than 800 vans over the next several years. The first Bay Area Vanpool Program subsidies were distributed in November 2018 to 71 separate vanpools, a number that rose last month to 88 vanpools.

“Vanpooling is a good option for commuters traveling 20 miles or more each way and who have pretty regular schedules,” said Megan Nangle, program manager for MTC’s Bay Area Vanpool Program. “More and more people are needing to commute farther given the Bay Area housing market, so vanpooling is becoming a good choice for more commuters.”

A vanpool typically consists of seven to 15 people commuting to and from home to work; often with two or three participants sharing the driving. If the vanpool includes seven people, the Bay Area Vanpool Program subsidy would average $50 per person per month. Participants can use pretax dollars to pay for the remainder of their vanpool expenses, further reducing the cost of their shared commute.

“Offering employees the ability to pay vanpool costs with pre-tax dollars is a way employers can comply with the Bay Area’s Commuter Benefits Program,” said Eric Pop, air quality specialist with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program requires employers with 50 or more employees in the Bay Area to provide some type of commuter benefit to their workforce — be it transit or vanpool subsidies, shuttles to transit, or the ability to pay transit and vanpool costs with pre-tax dollars.

“Before these subsidies, a person’s vanpool cost typically would be around $150 a month, with the price varying by how far they commute, the number of people in the vanpool and the rental cost of the vehicle,” said Nangle, MTC’s vanpool program coordinator. “Between these new subsidies and the longstanding tax benefits, vanpooling is going to be a really cost-effective option for commuters traveling long distances.”

Vanpool driver Beth Russel, who commutes daily between Vacaville and Richmond, praised the merits of vanpooling. “With the added vanpool subsidy, our folks are happier than ever and now saving more than 60 percent off their commute costs of driving alone. There are only a few simple requirements to qualify for the program. Tracking our ridership and fuel costs is something we did anyway, and Enterprise has made it easy to track that information online now. It’s that simple to save even more money now on our daily commute, help reduce road congestion, build relationships with fellow van members and know that we are doing our part in making our planet a little bit greener.”

Commuters who do not already have a group with which to vanpool can learn how to join a vanpool or start a new one by visiting https://511.org/carpool-vanpool/vanpool/overview.

Vanpools can apply for the Bay Area Vanpool Program subsidies on the Enterprise site at https://www.commutewithenterprise.com/en/partners/mtc.html. The program is funded by MTC with federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) transportation dollars and a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The Commission selected Enterprise as the program vendor through a competitive process.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

New Year means higher tolls on seven Bay Area bridges beginning Tuesday

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Bay Bridge Toll Plaza photos taken 9 /16 & 18/13. Karl Nielsen Photography www.karlnielsenphotography.com (805) 570-3395

First of three voter-approved increases

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) reminds drivers that several important changes take effect Jan. 1, 2019, at the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges. These include the first of the $1 toll increases approved last year through state Senate Bill 595 and confirmed by voters through Regional Measure 3 in June 2018. This will mark the first toll hike at the state-owned toll bridges since 2010. Additional $1 increases will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and on Jan. 1, 2025.

Regular tolls for two-axle cars and trucks (as well as for motorcycles) at the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges will rise to $6 from the current $5 on Jan. 1, 2019.

At the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, regular tolls will climb to $7 from the current $6 on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. During weekday off-peak hours from 12 midnight to 5 a.m., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to midnight, Bay Bridge tolls will rise from $4 to $5; and on Saturdays and Sundays, Bay Bridge tolls will increase to $6 from the current $5.

Tolls for vehicles with three or more axles also will rise by $1 on Jan. 1, 2019, at all seven of the state-owned toll bridges: to $16 for three axles, $21 for four-axles, $26 for five axles, $31 for six axles, and $36 for combinations with seven or more axles.

Senate Bill 595 continues the peak-period toll discount for motorcycles, carpools and qualifying clean-air vehicles crossing any of the state-owned toll bridges on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The discounted toll is scheduled to increase to $3 on Jan. 1, 2019, from the current $2.50. To qualify for this discount, carpoolers, motorcyclists and drivers of qualifying clean-air vehicles must use FasTrak to pay their tolls electronically and must use a designated carpool lane at each toll plaza.

Senate Bill 595 also established a 50-cent toll discount for two-axle vehicles crossing more than one of the state-owned toll bridges during weekday commute hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. To be eligible for the toll discount, which is to be applied to the second toll crossing of the day, motorists must pay their tolls electronically with FasTrak. Carpools, motorcycles and qualifying clean-air vehicles making a second peak-period toll crossing in a single day will qualify for an additional 25-cent discount off the already-discounted carpool toll. The two-bridge discount will not be available to drivers who use cash to pay their tolls.

New FasTrak customers can obtain toll tags at hundreds of Walgreens and Costco stores around the Bay Area. A complete list of participating locations — as well as an online enrollment and registration feature — is available on the FasTrak Web site at bayareafastrak.org. Customers also may enroll in the FasTrak program by phone at 1-877-229-8655; by calling 511 and asking for “FasTrak” at the first prompt; or in person at the FasTrak customer service center at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco. Operating hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. FasTrak can be used in all lanes at all Bay Area toll plazas.

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018 BATA formally approved the new toll schedule through adoption of BATA Resolution No. 128 at its regular December meeting. The Authority today also adopted BATA Resolution No. 129, which authorizes arrangements for the escrow of Regional Measure 3 funds pending the resolution of two lawsuits challenging state Senate Bill 595 and Regional Measure 3. Both lawsuits are pending in Superior Court in the City and County of San Francisco. Under BATA Resolution No. 129, the Regional Measure 3 toll increases, when collected, will be placed into an escrow account managed by an independent trustee. Following a process similar to voter-approved sales tax measures that face legal challenge, these funds will be transferred at least once each week from BATA to a Union Bank (Mitsubishi United Financial Group – MUFG) trust account, where the funds will be managed by a bank trust officer until final resolution of all litigation. Once the BATA legal team certifies there is a final resolution, the Authority will be asked to release the escrow. If BATA prevails in the litigation, the funds will be applied to BATA-approved programs. If BATA should lose the litigation, the funds will be reimbursed to tollpayers.

BATA, which is directed by the same policy board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), administers toll revenues from the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges. Toll revenues from the Golden Gate Bridge are administered by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which joined with BATA to operate a single regional FasTrak customer service center in San Francisco. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

Frazier reappointed as Chair of Assembly Transportation Committee

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Also continues on Insurance and Veterans Affairs Committees

Assemblyman Jim Frazier

Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D–Discovery Bay) made the following statement after Speaker Anthony Rendon (D – Paramount) reappointed him as Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee:

“I am honored that Speaker Rendon has given me the privilege to continue as Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee.  Serving as chair of this Committee has given me the opportunity to help lead California into a golden age of transportation infrastructure repair.”

“A strong economy depends on roads and highways that are safe and efficient and California is now a leader in the nation on finding transportation solutions that keep the residents of our cities, counties and state moving.  This historic infrastructure investment will put tens of thousands of Californians to work throughout the state.”

In addition to Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Assemblymember Frazier was also reappointed to the Committees on Insurance, and Veterans Affairs, and was newly appointed to the Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services.

Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.