SB 916 Enacted: March 2004 Primary Ballot to Give Voters Chance to Expand Commute Options
Published: November, 2003
Bay Area voters will get a chance to take regional mobility issues into their own hands now that outgoing Governor Gray Davis has signed Senate Bill 916 into law. The bill, authored by East Bay Senator Don Perata, places a regional traffic relief plan on the March 2, 2004 ballot in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano counties. The plan would be funded through a $1 toll increase on the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges, and is expected to raise approximately $125 million annually to address congestion relief and enhance the convenience and reliability of the region’s public transit system in the vicinity of bridge corridors.
"At a time when infrastructure dollars are so scarce, this bill will help to jumpstart major projects that have been a long time coming. Senator Perata should be commended for bringing together so many different groups and working so many different transportation solutions into the mix," said MTC Chair Steve Kinsey.
Transit projects in the plan include seismic retrofit of the Transbay BART tube, the Transbay Terminal Project in San Francisco, and BART capacity improvements in Contra Costa County and Alameda counties. Other rail improvements include expansion of Caltrain service along the Peninsula and the introduction of service over a rehabilitated Dumbarton rail bridge that would connect BART, Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, and ACE. The plan also would contribute funds to improvements to several freeway bottlenecks, including the Interstate 80/Interstate 680 interchange in Solano County, a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel, and the completion of funding for the new span of the Benicia Bridge. The plan would fund express bus infrastructure, and bus feeder service to the regional transit network as well.
In addition to capital investments, the plan provides an infusion of operating funds for commuter rail, express and enhanced bus, and ferry service, recognizing that operating funds for regional transit are a critical element in improving service. The plan dedicates to transit operations up to 38 percent of total annual revenues. This funding would total $1.63 billion over the first 35 years. Funds would be designated to specific transit agencies to operate transbay routes including service over six Bay Area toll bridges. The transit services receiving operating funds include:
() Dumbarton Rail: $5.5 million annually
() Ferry Service: $15.3 million annually
() Express Bus (North, Central and South Bay): $12.3 million annually
() AC Transit: $3 million annually
() San Francisco Muni: $2.5 million annually
() Night Owl Bus Service: $1.8 million annually
According to MTC Manager for Legislation and Public Affairs, Randy Rentschler, "Bay Area residents understand that investment in transportation infrastructure is necessary for us to maintain our unique quality of life. In 1988, 70 percent of voters supported Regional Measure 1 to bring all tolls up to $1 to fund various bridge and transit improvements. We’re hopeful that we’ll see a repeat of that support next March."
For details on the specific projects included in SB 916, go to MTC’s web site at http://www.mtc.ca.gov/whats_happening/legislative_update/SB_916.htm.
MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing, and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
