Increasing transportation capacity significantly in the Bay Bridge corridor and to the south is once again being considered. Although adding shoulders on a new or rebuilt east span of the Bay Bridge may help to speed the flow of traffic, unless the west span is expanded the bridge will not accommodate more cars. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has convened a Policy Committee as the first step in a San Francisco Bay Crossing study that will re-examine the options for improving travel across the Bay.
Earlier efforts to relieve the pressure on the Bay Bridge included a toll bridge proposal rejected by voters in six counties in 1972. At that time, BART was seen as the solution. In 1991, MTC's Bay Crossing Study concluded that planned improvements to BART service and the San Mateo bridge would be a satisfactory if limited answer to increased demand. The 1991 study looked at eleven options for improving transbay travel, including high-speed ferries, several new alignments for bridges or tunnels, and rail connections. Detailed analysis focused on five alternatives:
The study used 2010 as its planning horizon; preliminary cost estimates ranged from $900 million for the ferries to almost $4 billion for the BART airport link (in 1990 dollars).
The 1991 study resulted in some key findings that are still relevant. Although levels of congestion would be increasingly high, it was anticipated that improvements underway at the time, including widening of the San Mateo Bridge and more frequent BART service, would provide enough capacity for the corridor until 2010. The I-380/I-238 bridge/BART alternative had the greatest trip capacity, with the potential to reduce the duration of the peak period on the Bay Bridge by over an hour, although peak hour traffic volume on the Bay Bridge was anticipated to remain the same. However, this new bridge alternative involved significant land use impacts, including destruction of wetlands and displacement of homes and businesses. Tunnel options also had significant environmental impacts due to dredging, including water quality and disposal of large quantities of dredge spoils.
Changes in the region which would be considered in a new study of transbay travel include:
A 13-member Policy Committee for the new study includes MTC commissioners and representatives of other agencies. Seven members are MTC commissioners from San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and the state Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. Six members are representatives from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, San Mateo County Transit District, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, BART, and the new Bay Area Water Transit Authority. MTC will select a consulting team in December, and work on the study will begin shortly after.
The year-long study will look at alternatives including transit (rail, bus and ferry), and operational and roadway improvements. It is expected to result in a number of findings and recommendations to improve transbay travel. While some recommendations will have the potential to be implemented fairly quickly, others, such as large-scale construction projects, will require substantial lead times for development and implementation.
Leslie Stewart
For more information:
David Tannehill, MTC, 510-464-7867: http://www.mtc.ca.gov
First Policy Committee Meeting: October 11, 1:00 pm, Metro-Center Auditorium (101 Oak Street), Oakland