Transportation | Contra Costa Herald

Guest Commentary: Enough already, let’s keep BART running

April 1, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

By East Bay Leadership Council

Arousing fear and outrage has proven to be an effective strategy, especially during this political season.

The past few weeks have seen a great deal of hand-wringing and outrage in the media over BART’s woes. The service disruption between North Concord and Bay Point has brought back traumatic memories of the 2013 strike, and old animosities have resurfaced.

The East Bay Leadership Council (EBLC) hopes to put that animosity aside and focus on keeping BART running. But just as we get the government we deserve, we also get the infrastructure we deserve. Let us be worthy of the inheritance left to us by past generations and not squander it for the sake of pithy tweets or political posturing.

The system’s age is contributing to the current problems. Suggesting that this claim only serves some ulterior motive is false and is a distraction from the real issues.

The core BART system will soon be half a century old. The system suffers $9.6 billion dollars’ worth of deferred maintenance and critical components now require replacement. This work has to be paid for, and neither the State of California nor the federal government is likely to bail us out any time soon.

Whether you believe the system has been mismanaged or not; whether you ride along the screeching decades-old tracks or not; whether you personally suffer through overcrowded cars and service interruptions or not, we all benefit from a system that eases commutes, connects people to jobs, provides mobility to those with limited means, and helps keep our air clean.

The alternative is longer commutes, more polluted air, a weaker economy, and a diminished quality of life. This is our reality.

The EBLC believes it is reasonable to question labor practices and compensation at BART. We encourage the Board of Directors and senior management to work diligently to address these issues, and we call on the California legislature to contribute to a solution. It is our collective civic duty to hold our leaders accountable.

Broken infrastructure is just as bad for riders as a BART strike. We hope that BART and our region’s leaders get the message: come together and keep BART running.

We also hope that the region’s citizens recognize that investing in our infrastructure is responsible civic engagement when the system is in need of public investment. The Bay Area is among the world’s largest economies and requires a reliable world-class transit system befitting its status.

Ultimately, vilifying public servants is no more productive than vilifying elected leaders. Both result in a race to the bottom where the only participants left are those comfortable with a good public shaming.

It is ridiculous to think that choking off BART’s resources will lead to a better BART.

ABOUT THE EAST BAY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

The East Bay Leadership Council (EBLC) is a private-sector, public-policy organization that advocates on issues affecting economic vitality and quality of life and represents leaders of business, industry, education, government and the nonprofit community. www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com

Free electric car test-drives at Contra Costa Spring Home & Garden Show this weekend

March 31, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

“Experience Electric” at Concord Pavilion, April 2-3

Visitors to the Contra Costa Spring Home and Garden Show on Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3 will be able to test drive some of the newest models of electric cars at the Concord Pavilion, located at 2000 Kirker Pass Road in Concord. The “Experience Electric – The Better Ride” campaign will offer free electric vehicle (EV) test drives both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Vehicles slated for testing at the ride-and-drive event include the BMW i3 REX, Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. Licensed drivers can try out these EVs on a first-come, first-served basis and feel the differences between driving with electricity versus driving a gasoline-powered car. Those taking test drives will receive Experience Electric souvenir sunglasses.

“Test-driving at a dealer’s showroom can be a bit intimidating, but there’s no pressure or sales hype at our events,” said Vanessa Minei, Marketing Manager with the Center for Sustainable Energy, a partner in the Experience Electric campaign. “We’ve all seen EVs on the road, but this is a chance to try one out, have some fun and feel the electric experience.”

Experience Electric is a joint initiative of MTC, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and a consortium of EV organizations including the Center for Sustainable Energy. The campaign’s goal is to increase EV adoption throughout the nine-county Bay Area. Accelerating EV use is a key strategy for state and local governments to reduce emissions from gas-powered vehicles, improve air quality and achieve goals for curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

To learn more about Experience Electric and future ride-and-drive events, visit www.facebook.com/thebetterride or www.energycenter.org/ExperienceElectric.

MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the agency chartered with protecting air quality in the Bay Area.

Senator Glazer issues statement on BART crisis

March 18, 2016 By Publisher 1 Comment

Sacramento, CA – State Senator Steven Glazer released the following statement regarding the crisis facing Bay Area BART commuters, on Friday.

“We are in a transportation crisis in my district. Thousands and thousands of people are arriving late for work, school and important meetings because BART failed to get in front of these foreseeable problems.

“The maintenance problems at BART have not just occurred overnight. They have been years in the making due to financial and leadership failures by the BART Board and management.

“These failures have been reflected in unaffordable employee and management compensation, wasteful spending on public relations and image building, inoperative security systems, and the inability to keep the trains running during strikes. These management breakdowns are also reflected in the paralysis that has resulted in the clear underfunding for maintenance, track, technology and train improvements.

“Our transportation system is an essential service in the Bay Area. Without the public’s trust in the leadership of BART, future investment in the system is in grave jeopardy.”

Glazer represents District 7 in the State Senate which covers most of Contra Costa County.

Transportation Authority to finalize Measure J 2016 Strategic Plan for expenditures at Wednesday meeting

March 14, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

The new Highway 4/Highway 160 ramps, which recently opened in East County, are the latest completed projects of the CCTA. photo courtesy of CCTA

By Allen Payton

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) will discuss and vote on the Draft Measure J 2016 Strategic Plan at its meeting on Wednesday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the authority board room, located at 2999 Oak Road, Suite 100 in Walnut Creek.

Measure J is the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation, which was passed by voters in 2004. The Plan was last updated in 2013 and this update will last through 2021. Almost half of all money generated by the half-cent sales tax will be spent on projects in East County.

Following are the highlights of the update to the Plan, according to the staff report:

The Plan makes firm commitments of Measure J funding for specific projects through June 30, 2021. It also reflects actual revenues and expenditures through June 30, 2015.
Sales tax revenues are now estimated to total $2.72 billion over the life of Measure J. This is approximately $10 million more than the estimated amount in the last Strategic Plan.
Approximately $725 million is now estimated to be available for Capital Projects through June 30, 2021, or about 85 percent of total Measure J funds programmed for projects in the Plan.
Due to the slight increase in revenues and lower than anticipated financing costs, the Plan loosens the overall “Expenditure Cap” on Project Categories from 76.2 percent to 76.6 percent.
The Plan reprograms $9 million from the East County Corridor Reserve (Project 5011) to State Route (SR4)/Balfour Road Interchange (Project 5005), $1.224 million from Marsh Creek Road Upgrade (Project 24001) to Clayton Streets Improvement (New Project 24032), $3.8 million from Alhambra Creek Bridge (Project 24029) to Pacheco Blvd Widening (Projects 23003 & 24003), $437,000 from Camino Pablo Pavement Rehabilitation (Project 24017) to Ivy Drive Pavement Rehabilitation (New Project 24018), and $4.9 million from I-680 Corridor Reserve (Project 8006) to I-680 Carpool Lane Completion (Project 8001). In addition, funding is advanced for several projects throughout the county including Richmond Parkway Maintenance (Project 9002), I-80/Central (Project 7003), BART Station, Access, and Parking Improvements (Project 10002-03), SR4 Operational Improvements (Project 6006), and I-680/SR4 Interchange, Phase 3 (Project 6001).
In programming additional capacity through the end of Measure J (FY 2034), the Plan adheres to each sub-region’s proportional share of Capital Project Categories in Measure J Expenditure Plan, as follows: Central County (TRANSPAC): 29.8 percent; East County (TRANSPLAN): 48.8 percent; West County (WCCTAC): 8.5 percent and Southwest County (SWAT): 12.8 percent.
Consistent with the Authority’s strategy to use debt financing to expedite high priority projects, the Plan assumes one additional bond issuance: $95 million in 2018. The Authority will revisit the size and timing of the 2018 bond in future Strategic Plans based on an updated analysis of the Authority’s financial capacity.
At the request of TRANSPLAN, any Measure J savings realized after the completion of SR4 East widening and eBART will be first redirected to reduce ECCRFFA [Eastern Contra Costa Regional Fee & Financing Authority] commitment on SR4/Balfour Road interchange, which has experienced cost increases and required additional ECCRFFA funding.”

In addition, following the Authority’s Administration & Projects Committee (APC) “meeting on March 3, 2016, BART requested the reprogramming of $250,000 from Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Supporting Improvements at Central County BART Stations (Project 10001-02) to the Shared Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Program (New Project 10001-06).”

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority Board meeting agenda packet for March 16, 2016 is now available by clicking here.

The Draft Measure J 2016 Strategic Plan can be located under Attachment A on the agenda page under APC Item # 2.A.4. (NOTE: This is a large file and may take several minutes to download).

Measure J is the continuation of the half-percent countywide sales tax for transportation, first adopted as Measure C in 1989. The new measure was passed by Contra Costa voters in November 2004. The Measure started on April 1, 2009 and will be in effect through March 31, 2034. The Measure J Strategic Plan guides the timing of Measure J expenditures based on assumptions about future sales tax revenues, debt service costs on proposed bonds, and project schedules. The underlying assumptions in the financial plan and the resultant cash flow estimates are critical to ensuring that the Authority will have the financial resources to deliver its project and program commitments.

Members of the public are welcome to speak on any agenda item during the meeting. Those who can’t attend the meeting, it is scheduled to be audio cast live on the CCTA website on March 16, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. To listen to the audio cast or download the meeting materials, visit the Public Meetings page of their website.

For more information visit www.ccta.org.

I-680 Walnut Creek to San Ramon March Construction Notice

March 3, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

In March, the final cast-in-drilled-hole (CIDH) pile sign foundation will be installed for the express lanes between Walnut Creek and San Ramon, and crews will continue to install overhead sign frames on the foundations.

Crews will also begin work on the express lanes communications network. This work will occur from Martinez to Dublin (see map below), and will primarily include laying conduit and installing fiber-optic cable along I-680 and some city streets.

Purpose

The overhead sign frames will support the future travel and toll information signs and the communications network will facilitate the transmission of data for the express lanes.

What to Expect

Intermittent and alternating nightly closures continue in the northbound and southbound directions in the lanes closest to the median, in the lane closest to the shoulder, and at some ramps from Walnut Creek to San Ramon. Approved construction work hours are: Monday through Thursday from 8 p.m. – 5 a.m., Friday from 8 p.m. – 7 a.m., and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 10 a.m.
Construction crews will be present on some city streets during the day near I-680 from Martinez to Dublin with temporary and minor pedestrian detours to maintain public safety.
Temporary k-rail, construction signage and orange plastic fencing will be installed in several locations from Martinez to Walnut Creek to maintain a safe work zone.

Construction lighting will be present and directed away from residential areas.

Construction is a dynamic process and information is subject to change without notice. Work is subject to weather conditions. Please use caution while traveling through the construction zone.