Published Sunday, May 20, 2001, in the Contra Costa Newspapers
Wish list to relieve traffic is debated
Agency gathering comments for region's transportation plan
By Lisa Vorderbrueggen
Times Staff Writer
OAKLAND -- It is the quintessential exercise in fiscal frustration,
the Bay Area's triennial review of its regional transportation plan.
Blessed -- or cursed -- with thousands of new jobs and a
corresponding number of new commuters on the roads and trains, the
project list gets bigger while the cash pile gets smaller.
But transportation planners say the Regional Transportation Plan, now
being revised, remains a key tool as the Bay Area seeks to ease some
of the worst traffic congestion in the nation.
The plan forces Bay Area leaders to focus limited dollars on projects
with the best chance of success, said Metropolitan Transportation
Commission Executive Director Steve Heminger.
Much like any household budget -- but on a larger scale -- the
transportation plan is a blueprint for how the Bay Area plans to
spend its transportation money.
The commission estimates the Bay Area will collect $81.4 billion in
gas taxes and other transportation dollars between 2001 and 2025.
It's a mountain of money by any measure -- $12,000 for every man,
woman and child in the Bay Area today.
The region needs 90 percent of it, or $73.9 billion, just to maintain
its existing roads and public transit systems.
That leaves $7.5 billion for everything else, a number far short of
the $33 billion identified in the commission's wish list document
called the "Blueprint for the 21st Century."
So, for the first time since the regional plan was conceived, the
commission has asked cities and counties to submit proposals for
projects that do not have all -- or any -- money.
"We have to free up as much room in the Regional Transportation Plan
as we can for expansion, and those we cannot afford, we'll prioritize
in the blueprint," Heminger said. "By going beyond the plan and into
the blueprint, we can see a ray of hope."
Under federal law, only projects with a realistic expectation of full
funding can go in the official transportation plan.
The supplemental list, which will be out in draft at the end of May,
will be used to help the Bay Area lobby for money beyond what it
already expects to collect.
Potential new sources of money -- nearly $21 billion worth -- range
from county sales tax extensions to bridge tolls to new gas taxes and
federal dollars earmarked for rail expansions.
None will be easily collected. The taxes require a two-thirds vote of
the people. And competition will be fierce among the nation's cities
for limited rail expansion dollars.
One idea expected to make its way onto the ballot in the next few
years is a "Pennies for Potholes" campaign, a 2- or 3-cent gas tax
earmarked for local road repairs.
The draft Regional Transportation Plan, meanwhile, is due out in
August.
To get public input, the commission is holding a series of public
hearings throughout the region and conducting an online survey.
In the East Bay, Solano County has adopted its list. Alameda and
Contra Costa counties are poised to do the same later this month.
Alameda County, which has the top two congested highways in the Bay
Area, is considering new interchanges on Interstate 580 in Livermore,
track improvements for the Altamont Commuter Express and Vasco Road
improvements.
Contra Costa's draft list calls for expanded bus service along with
transit and improvements on Highway 4 in East Contra Costa,
Interstate 80 in West Contra Costa, and Interstate 680 along the
length of the county.
Solano County wants money to, among other things, expand the
Interstate 80-680 and Highway 12 interchanges, add carpool lanes on I-
680, and build new train stations for the Capitol Corridor.
The commission's board, composed of appointed elected city and
council officials, is scheduled to adopt the regional plan and
prioritize the wish list this winter.
It will likely be a lively debate as advocates for everything from
bicycle lanes to express buses to a fourth bore in the Caldecott
Tunnel lobby commissioners for top priority.
Projects up for debate include BART extensions to San Jose, Antioch
and Livermore, a bicycle lane on the western span of the Bay Bridge,
and an express bus system and rail on the Dumbarton Bridge.
Commission staff will also be asking the board to triple the dollars
earmarked for its "smart growth" programs to $338 million.
It includes payments to communities that build affordable housing and
a grant program to encourage development near public transit centers.
Lisa Vorderbrueggen covers transportation and growth. Reach her at
925-945-4773 or lvorderbrueggen@cctimes.com.
TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS
How much money is the Bay Area projected to get for transportation in
the next 25 years? $81.4 billion (2001 dollars)
Where will it go? $73.9 billion will be needed to maintain the Bay
Area's existing roads, transit and other transportation-related
programs. The remaining $7.5 billion is available for transit and
road expansion.
Is it enough? No. The region will be short $1.2 billion in the local
streets and road repairs account.
Do you have an idea or want to let leaders know how you think the
money should be spent? The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is
holding public hearings throughout the Bay Area to take
recommendations to include in the 2001 Regional Transportation Plan.
To view a meeting schedule, go to
http://www.mtc.ca.gov/whats_happening/hearings/rtp_outreach.htm.
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Commission
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