If Bay Area voters pass Regional Measure 2 on the March 2, 2004 ballot, an extra dollar at bridge toll plazas will add up to $125 million per year for congestion relief projects around the region, including new ferry service across the Bay, stronger—and longer—BART infrastructure, construction of the new Transbay Terminal, more express buses around the region, and planning for better transit connections.
The measure, which was authorized by SB 916 (Perata), will be on the ballot in all Bay Area counties except Napa and Sonoma Counties. It would raise tolls to $3 on the seven state-owned toll bridges in the region; Golden Gate Bridge tolls are set by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
During the first decades of the increased toll, $1,515 million is earmarked for specific projects, with up to $48.3 million per year (up to 38% of revenue) available for transit operating costs. Transit projects in the plan include putting rail on a rehabilitated Dumbarton rail bridge to connect BART, Caltrain, Capitol Corridor and ACE service. BART would receive funds for seismic retrofit of the Transbay Tube and for expansions in the East Bay, including the Warm Springs extension, the connector to Oakland International Airport, and new diesel feeder trains in East Contra Costa County. New ferry service to San Francisco from Alameda/Oakland, Berkeley or Richmond, and South San Francisco would be supported with money for new vessels and operating costs. Express buses would receive operating support and funding for new facilities, including intermodal hubs in Solano County and the City of Vallejo, and the replacement of the Transbay Terminal. MUNI would receive funding for historic streetcar lines and the Third Street Rail expansion.
Some key highway congestion points would also receive funding. Carpool lanes would be added to I-80 between Hwy 4 and the Carquinez Bridge and from I-680 to BART at Pleasant Hill or Walnut Creek. The Benicia Bridge would receive funds to complete the new second span, the bottleneck at the junction of I-80/I-680 would be addressed, and money would be available to begin the work on a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel.
Although they are less glamorous than the "taxes at work" projects that appeal most to voters, major regional transportation planning needs would also be funded by the toll increase. These include TransLink™ and planning for an integrated fare structure, as well as real time transit information. The measure also contains funding for a regional rail master plan to be completed by July 2006, with planning staff provided by Caltrain and BART and participation by public and private rail operators.
Other planning requirements include a regional transit connectivity plan, to be done by December 2005, and a 20-year toll bridge expenditure plan, which would be required by January 2020.
SB 916 took many months to reach the governor's desk and there were numerous partners in its passage. At least 25 agencies and organizations are noted as project sponsors in the bill, each representing Bay Area residents who care about certain projects on the list. There were also disagreements about which projects deserved to be included, with most criticisms directed at the Caldecott Tunnel, the BART Warm Springs extension and new ferry service. These were seen as not being cost-effective, or in the case of the Caldecott, not sufficiently tied to congestion relief on the bridges where drivers will be paying the toll.
However, transit advocates are generally positive about Regional Measure 2. The nonprofit Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC) requested comments from its members and received responses such as, " It's by no means perfect, but there are many great projects in there that wouldn't be funded otherwise (e.g. Safe Routes, Night BART)." "Simple, needed, and helps to rectify congestion somewhat by making car use cost a tiny bit more to the auto driver, as it should." And one writer summed it up with, "It's not perfect but in politics it never is. Overall, it does more good than harm." TALC is now helping to lead the grassroots effort to pass the measure.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) would be responsible for many of the projects, and its sister agency, the Bay Area Toll Authority, would administer the new funds. MTC will be providing ballot information on the long list of capital projects and operating fund commitments contained in the measure. Detailed information on project funding and timing is already accessible on MTC's Website (http://www.mtc.ca.org/whats_happening/legislative_update/SB_916.htm). Many agencies such as the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority, which would receive funding for ferries, will also have information available on how funds would be used if the measure passes.
This will be the first time in over 15 years that voters in most Bay Area counties will see a regional measure on their ballot. A majority of votes throughout the region is needed to pass the measure. Randy Rentschler, MTC Manager for Legislation and Public Affairs, says, "In 1988, 70 percent of voters supported Regional Measure 1 to fund various bridge and transit improvements including the recently opened Carquinez Bridge and the widening of the San Mateo Bridge. We're hopeful that we'll see a repeat of that support next March."
Perhaps most voters will agree with one TALC writer who said, "The bill . . . provides money that is sorely needed for public transit [and] the bridge toll is eventually going to get raised anyhow. . ." If they do, the region's transportation financing pie will get substantially larger.
Leslie Stewart