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Public Workshops Announced for
West Contra Costa BART/High-Capacity Transit Study
March 26, 2016
Dear Reader:
Please join me at an upcoming public workshop for the West Contra Costa High Capacity Transit Study!
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Background
As you well-know, one of the key priorities that I ran my 2012 election on was a BART or alternative rail extension to the northern communities of West Contra Costa County
to help alleviate Interstate 80 congestion. After a lot of work, my effort has resulted in the West County High-Capacity Transit Study that is looking at multiple high-capacity transit investment options in West Contra Costa County, including, but not limited to, BART system expansion. Since this study began in March of last year, the consultant team has completed several advanced evaluations that resulted in technical memoranda that are available on the study website. For a briefer snapshot of the study scope and process, take a look at the
study fact sheet.
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Workshop Schedule
Now, a year into the study, it has reached the phase of seeking public input. The first of two rounds of public workshops have been called; their times and locations detailed below.
San Pablo
Tuesday, April 12, 2016 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM
San Pablo City Hall, City Council Chambers (13831 San Pablo Avenue, San Pablo, CA)
Pinole
Wednesday, April 13, 2016 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM
Pinole City Hall, City Council Chambers (2131 Pear Street, Pinole, CA)
Richmond
Thursday, April 14, 2016 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM
Richmond City Hall, City Council Chambers (440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA)
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Workshop Purpose/Study Process
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These first workshops will showcase to the public the high-capacity transit options that were narrowed down through an initial screening process and the high-level cost-benefit considerations of the different options. Based on this information, public thoughts on which options they feel are the best value for the needed investment will be sought. As detailed in Technical Memorandum 8 of the study, these alternatives include the following:
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Alternative 1: Expanded Express Bus Services
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Alternative 2: San Pablo Avenue/Macdonald Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
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Alternative 3: 23rd Street/San Pablo Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
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Alternative 4: Commuter Rail via Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)
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Alternative 5: Commuter Rail via Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF)
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Alternative 6: BART Extension from Richmond Station to Hercules
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Alternative 7*: BART Extension from El Cerrito del Norte Station to Hercules
*Alternative 7 includes a sub-alternative that assesses a Diesel Multiple-Unit technology option.
This first round of workshops will also summarize to the public the travel market analysis documented in Technical Memorandum 7 and the evaluation criteria moving forward as detailed in Technical Memorandum 9.
Ultimately, the information that the study team gets out of these first workshops will be used as an input into the additional evaluation done by the study team as they further narrow down the alternatives to a single alternative or set of alternatives to recommend for consideration to the
West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC). The evaluation is intended to hone in on an alternative or alternatives that promise(s) the highest potential for serving the corridor’s needs in terms of effectively serving the travel demands of the corridor, being cost-effective in doing so (i.e., getting the most for the investment), and having strong public support for implementation.
The second round of meetings, which are scheduled to occur in the fall of this year, will take place in Hercules, El Sobrante, and El Cerrito and will seek public feedback on the final “short list” of alternatives before they are presented back to the WCCTAC Board.
I look forward to seeing you at one or more of these meetings next month!
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