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  #1461  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2015, 7:59 PM
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More pics and info:


(pics Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)







Quote:
SMART marks first crossing on new Petaluma River bridge

BY DEREK MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
October 7, 2015, 6:15PM

A Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit rail car crossed the Petaluma River for the first time Wednesday over a recently installed bridge, another major milestone in bringing passenger train service to the North Bay.

With train officials and SMART board member Jake Mackenzie looking over his shoulder, engineer Matt Shiffrar piloted the sleek two-car train toward the bridge near the Highway 101 overpass at Lakeville Highway. Once on the span, Shiffrar laid on the horn as cheers erupted from the cabin.

...

Mackenzie predicted “hundreds of thousands” of train passengers will make the same journey in the future.

...

Next week, work will begin on building platforms and installing ticket machines at rail stations, starting at the San Rafael site.

Engineers will be conducting high-speed tests of the rail cars on a section of track north of the Redwood Landfill in Novato, ahead of what is expected to be a full test run of the passenger line starting next summer. The 80-ton commuter trains are set to reach top speeds of 79 mph outside of cities, and SMART officials said the service is still on track to make its debut to the public late next year.

The Petaluma River bridge replacement was one of the largest single infrastructure projects for SMART in its bid to overhaul more than 42 miles of railroad in Sonoma and Marin counties. The $4.2 million replacement span, after being dismantled in Galveston, Tex., was brought by rail to the Bay Area and mostly re-assembled at Mare Island.

...

Farhad Mansourian, the rail authority’s general manager, said board members initially thought train planners were “crazy” for wanting to replace the existing Haystack Bridge with another one brought in from halfway across the country.

...

SMART is planning to operate seven two-car units along the route. The slope-nosed cars, called Diesel Multiple Units, run in pairs, with the ability to have a third car added in between to increase capacity. Each car has 79 seats, with standing room available for about 80 people. The cars also feature space for bicycles, Wi-Fi service and, in some cases, snack and beverage bars.

...

While SMART remains on track to debut service next year, funding for a planned link from downtown San Rafael to the Larkspur ferry terminal still is in doubt. A congressional feud over a federal road and highway spending bill threatens $20 million the rail agency is seeking for the project.

Mansourian on Wednesday remained confident the funding will be approved.

“In the unlikely event we don’t get the funding this year, there’s always next year,” he said. “But I feel confident we’ll be in good shape.”

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/45...allery=4587515
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  #1462  
Old Posted Oct 9, 2015, 12:37 AM
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Originally Posted by CharlesCO View Post
If a train is scheduled for a 20 second stop at Embarcadero, but it takes a minute for all the passengers to board, that delays the train behind it at Montgomery by 40 seconds, as an example. If that keeps happening in succession, that can produce a domino effect for all the commute hour trains, which are already scheduled pretty tightly.

*But*, if there's more space for people can embark and disembark trains via an additional door, that cuts down on stall times at the station. So with a third door, passengers will be able to clear the platform more quickly, and the train has a better chance of departing on time.

Also, more trains *could* run through the Transbay Tube with a new computer system. The current one dates to around when BART opened, which was during the Nixon administration. Computers have changed a lot since then. IIRC, there are ~15(?) trains per hour right now, but a new system could safely space trains more closely, which would allow for something closer to ~30 trains per hour.
I haven't read anything about BART being able to increase capacity with an additional door. I get what you're saying but I'm just not convinced a shorter dwell times of a maybe a few seconds is really going to add up to allowing BART to run more trains. I could be wrong but I feel like BART would be advertising that if it was the case.

I think the only thing that would allow them to run more trains is a new/upgraded train control system, as you said. Currently they run 24 trains per hour during the peak.
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  #1463  
Old Posted Oct 9, 2015, 12:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sav858 View Post
I haven't read anything about BART being able to increase capacity with an additional door. I get what you're saying but I'm just not convinced a shorter dwell times of a maybe a few seconds is really going to add up to allowing BART to run more trains. I could be wrong but I feel like BART would be advertising that if it was the case.
BART wanted and got six exits/entrances in each new car to shorten dwell times. Shorter dwell times mean more trains can serve a given station in a given hour. More trains per hour can carry more passengers.

Quote:
I think the only thing that would allow them to run more trains is a new/upgraded train control system, as you said. Currently they run 24 trains per hour during the peak.
An upgraded control system is another piece of the puzzle, as are additional exits from the platforms at Embarcadero and Montgomery to reduce crowding that slows boarding/deboarding and thus increases dwell times.
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  #1464  
Old Posted Oct 9, 2015, 12:48 AM
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Quote:
Next week, work will begin on building platforms and installing ticket machines at rail stations, starting at the San Rafael site.
I should be able to keep an eye on this and Civic Center, where the foundation is already in place. I'll check it out next week and provide updates.
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  #1465  
Old Posted Oct 16, 2015, 8:51 PM
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  #1466  
Old Posted Oct 22, 2015, 4:44 PM
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Quote:
SMART begins testing trains in Novato


SMART conductor DeAndre Bess makes a test run of a train on Tuesday north of Novato. Bess said “compared to a freight train — which is what I’m used to — this is like a sports car.” Robert Tong — Marin Independent Journal


A train runs near the Redwood landfill near Novato on Tuesday as SMART began testing the system. Robert Tong — Marin Independent Journal


By Mark Prado, Marin Independent Journal
Posted: 10/21/15, 9:00 PM PDT

SMART trains are rolling up and down a stretch of track in Novato this week as rails and cars are tested for the first time.

...

“This is significant,” said Matt Stevens, SMART spokesman, as he stood near new tracks near the landfill just before the train rolled in, its horn sounding...

Part of the testing involves training new train operators. DeAndre Bess sat at the controls this week as the train rolled smoothly down the track south, with Highway 101 to the right and wetlands to the left.

“Compared to a freight train — which is what I’m used to — this is like a sports car,” Bess said. “It accelerates faster and brakes faster. It feels lighter than a locomotive.”

The scene of the silver and green passenger trains in Marin drew curious glances from onlookers in cars on the freeway and from those who were in parking areas along the railway.

...

“Braking performance and acceleration performance are being looked at as well,” Stevens said.

To that end, engineers, including several from the manufacturer Sumitomo Corp. of America were on board monitoring computers that were fed data from the braking system to check operation in dry and wet conditions. Barrels on board filled with water were sent to the braking system via hoses to simulate rainy weather conditions.

“We test everything in and on the train,” Stevens said. “We make sure all the doors open, that the electrical switches work along with lights. Basically every mechanical function of the train has to work properly.”

The train cars’ interiors are completed. They feature restrooms, a snack area, several tables and upholstery in shades of green — sea foam and Kelly.

Each chair has a fold-down tray similar to those on airplanes and the seats recline as well. Electrical plugs are in each row against the wall and see-through overhead bins are available for storage.

SMART has three of the two-car train sets in its possession and four more are due. Service from San Rafael to Santa Rosa is set for late 2016. Marin SMART stops will include downtown San Rafael, the Marin Civic Center and stations in Novato at Hamilton and San Marin Drive/Atherton Avenue. There is also renewed discussion of having some service to downtown Novato, with the potential stop part of a $100,000 study. An extension to Larkspur soon after service begins could be put in if federal money comes through, officials said.

Speed is also being looked at during testing. Earlier this week, the train was kept at 25 mph. By Thursday, SMART hopes to ramp up to 50 mph. By next week the train could be tested at its allowed maximum: 79 mph.

That brought a warning from SMART chief Farhad Mansourian.

“This is an active railroad,” he said. “We are not only testing, but there is active freight operations on the tracks as well. Please obey signs and listen to the sounds. We can’t say it enough: safety, safety, safety.”
http://www.marinij.com/general-news/...ains-in-novato


TESTING VIDEOS, by Mike Prado
http://www.tout.com/m/v86lnm

http://www.tout.com/m/k9uphj

http://www.tout.com/m/0lqaxu
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  #1467  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2015, 6:55 PM
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Take a look at this!


http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20151028

I'm not sold on the paint job, but either way...I'll take a new train!
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  #1468  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2015, 11:01 PM
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At risk of sounding "unpatriotic", why does there need to be an American flag on a subway car? I know in NY there was no such decal before 9/11. Now many U.S. cities have them. I think the underfunded public transit infrastructure is enough to be reminded what country we're in.
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  #1469  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2015, 11:15 PM
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I can't wait for the new BART cars to be put in service.
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  #1470  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2015, 11:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee View Post
At risk of sounding "unpatriotic", why does there need to be an American flag on a subway car? I know in NY there was no such decal before 9/11. Now many U.S. cities have them. I think the underfunded public transit infrastructure is enough to be reminded what country we're in.
I believe it's the equivalent of a "Made in ___" stamp...
At least, that's the only rational I've ever come up with.
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  #1471  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2015, 11:39 PM
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The new cars are nice enough, though the earlier renderings suggested something more daring in style (one could argue the original Rohr cars are more "futuristic" in appearance). At least they'll have plug doors like the rest of the world. Unfortunately though the trainsets will not be open gangway, and since the rest of the world is going this direction, in 10 years this will likely seem like a shortsighted decision - especially so considering BARTs serious capacity issues.
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Last edited by Busy Bee; Oct 29, 2015 at 2:10 PM.
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  #1472  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2015, 6:10 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee View Post
At risk of sounding "unpatriotic", why does there need to be an American flag on a subway car? I know in NY there was no such decal before 9/11. Now many U.S. cities have them. I think the underfunded public transit infrastructure is enough to be reminded what country we're in.
I was thinking the same thing and agree with you.
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  #1473  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2015, 4:30 PM
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The photo of the unfinished new BART car looks exactly like the renderings BART provides on its website:


source
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  #1474  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2015, 8:58 PM
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Replacement and expansion progress (10/29/2015) of the US 101 Petaluma River Bridge in Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA. Photos by me.

"This will be one of the longest precast, post-tensioned spliced concrete girder bridges in the U.S." (http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/101petalumablvd/)













The SMART Haystack Bridge is just finishing up next to all this
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  #1475  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2015, 9:57 PM
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fflint, I'm referring to these early unofficial prelims:


)()(


)()(
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  #1476  
Old Posted Oct 30, 2015, 1:22 AM
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More important than how they will look is how they will function.

BART to test new train cars with third door

Bay City News
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

BART officials say that at the end of this year they expect to start testing on train cars with a small but crucial difference - an extra door.

The new Bombardier cars, the first of which should begin arriving in December, will include three doors, rather than the current two, to reduce crowding near the doors and allow passengers to get on and off the train more quickly.

"The issue we have today is that people are concerned they can't get off a crowded train, so they cluster near the doors," said Henry Kolesar, BART's group manager for vehicle maintenance, in a statement today.

The change should also reduce the time needed for trains to get in and out of stations, BART officials said.

The new doors also have a different "microplug" design, more like that of the sliding door on a minivan than the current "pocket" doors, which slide into a space in the wall of the car. The new design should seal more tightly, reducing exterior noise, and break down less often, officials said.

BART will test the new trains for around a year and hopes to begin using them in passenger service by December of 2016, spokeswoman Alicia Trost said today. Testing will be conducted largely on test tracks and on regular tracks during out-of-service hours.

The bulk of BART's more than 600 cars date back to the 1970s and 1980s and are nearing the end of their useful life span, according to BART officials.

In 2012 the BART board voted to approve a contract with Bombardier for new cars. The agency has ordered 776 cars, at an estimated total cost of $2.5 billion, and has an option to eventually order a total of 1,081, Trost said.

The larger number of cars will allow the agency to run longer trains, increasing capacity.
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  #1477  
Old Posted Oct 30, 2015, 8:18 PM
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Looks like Libby Schaaf and the city of Oakland are exploring the concept of tearing down Interstate 980 and reconnecting West Oakland to Downtown.

“People are very interested in making sure this is a mixed-income community,” said Victor Dover, an urban planner whose design firm, Dover, Kohl, & Partners, has contracted with the city to craft a new land-use and development plan for Oakland’s downtown districts.

The city that Dover envisions is a mosaic of narrow roadways, dense buildings and bicycle lanes, with parking lots converted into plazas and flower beds planted in curbsides. His team gave a work-in-progress presentation on the plan at the Paramount Theatre on Wednesday, just as the mayor wrapped up her speech at City Hall.

Dover and Rachel Flynn, the city’s head of Planning and Building, ultimately dream of razing the 980 freeway that separates West Oakland from downtown — a project that could take generations."

www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Schaaf-lays-out-priorities-for-Oakland-in-annual-6597268.php

Please make this so!
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  #1478  
Old Posted Oct 31, 2015, 6:16 AM
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an interesting idea. i assume they'd have to leave the aerial bart structure in place. it doesn't look like there's quite room, but an infill station between 19th and macarthur would be an interesting catalyst for redevelopment. macarthur and the area around it is really inhospitable, thanks to the freeway, but tearing down 980 wouldn't help that. (assuming they're only talking about the segment between 880 and 580.

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Originally Posted by gtbassett View Post
Looks like Libby Schaaf and the city of Oakland are exploring the concept of tearing down Interstate 980 and reconnecting West Oakland to Downtown.

“People are very interested in making sure this is a mixed-income community,” said Victor Dover, an urban planner whose design firm, Dover, Kohl, & Partners, has contracted with the city to craft a new land-use and development plan for Oakland’s downtown districts.

The city that Dover envisions is a mosaic of narrow roadways, dense buildings and bicycle lanes, with parking lots converted into plazas and flower beds planted in curbsides. His team gave a work-in-progress presentation on the plan at the Paramount Theatre on Wednesday, just as the mayor wrapped up her speech at City Hall.

Dover and Rachel Flynn, the city’s head of Planning and Building, ultimately dream of razing the 980 freeway that separates West Oakland from downtown — a project that could take generations."

www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Schaaf-lays-out-priorities-for-Oakland-in-annual-6597268.php

Please make this so!
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  #1479  
Old Posted Oct 31, 2015, 7:22 PM
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The San Francisco Chronicle has published an essential rundown of all the major transportation projects underway right now in the Bay Area, which all together will change how hundreds of thousands of people move around our region.

For all the Bay Area's faults--no pun intended--we are currently acting decisively to solve many of our most pressing transportation problems, and expanding and improving what already works. We are opening up critical freeway bottlenecks, constructing two new commuter railroads, electrifying an existing commuter railroad, extending our heavy rail system and one of our light rail systems, building out a regional carpool/express lane network, re-configuring one of our major regional bridges to expand capacity while also creating one of the region's first trans-bay bicycle routes, rebuilding and expanding a major downtown commuter hub, and constructing two bus rapid transit lines. When it comes to California transportation infrastructure investment, Los Angeles has gotten most of the attention for its admittedly laudable expansion of its light rail system, but the Bay Area is also investing billions of dollars to upgrade and modernize our regional transportation systems. And that's worth a bit of examination and (hopefully) some interesting conversation.

Here are some highlights of the Chronicle's excellent piece:



Caltrain Electrification

Caltrain is converting from diesel to electric engines, which will let trains accelerate and stop faster.

What’s going on: Caltrain is switching from diesel engines to electric, allowing trains to accelerate and stop faster. The change is expected to shorten trips and allow additional service. That’s key to Caltrain’s future, because it can’t add any more trains during the morning and evening commutes. The project involves stringing overhead wires and buying lightweight railcars that are individually powered, not pulled by a locomotive.

Open: Late 2020.

Cost: $1.5 billion.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, or SMART, will carry passengers up to 43 miles between downtown San Rafael and a station near the Sonoma County Airport north of Santa Rosa.

What’s going on: Commuter rail is coming soon to Marin and Sonoma counties, and it’s nothing like Caltrain or BART. SMART will carry passengers up to 43 miles between downtown San Rafael and a station near the Sonoma County Airport north of Santa Rosa.

Lightweight railcars, independently powered by clean diesel, will be joined into two- to three-car trains on the refurbished tracks of the long-defunct Northwestern Pacific Railroad.

SMART plans to build extensions to the Larkspur ferry terminal, Healdsburg and Cloverdale, but doesn’t have the funding. President Obama’s proposed budget includes money for Larkspur but may not get through Congress. If it does, officials say, the extension from San Rafael could be completed within 18 months.

Open: Late 2016. Extensions to Larkspur and Cloverdale, unknown.

Cost: $460 million.

Van Ness bus rapid transit

Street trees are to be sacrificed as Muni develops bus rapid transit along Van Ness Avenue between Lombard and Mission streets.

What’s going on: Bus rapid transit, which uses stations with boarding platforms and exclusive lanes to make buses run like urban rail lines, is popular in Latin America and South America and is catching on slowly in the U.S.

Plans to build San Francisco’s first bus rapid transit line on Van Ness Avenue between Lombard and Mission streets have dragged on for more than a decade because of fights over stop locations, parking, traffic patterns and even street trees.

Open: Early 2019.

Cost: $163 million.

East Bay bus rapid transit

AC Transit, shown at a San Francisco stop, is building a rapid bus route from San Leandro to 20th Street in downtown Oakland.

What’s going on: AC Transit is building its own bus rapid transit route along a 9.5-mile route — mostly on busy International Boulevard — from San Leandro to 20th Street in downtown Oakland. Public opposition, especially in Berkeley, not only delayed the project but shortened it by more than seven miles. Foes objected to a plan to eliminate parking and a lane of traffic along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.

The line will take away 237 parking spaces and claim a lane of traffic in each direction, but is expected to cut travel times by 25 percent and draw 11,000 more riders a day.

Open: Late 2017.

Cost: $174 million.

Central Subway

Muni’s Central Subway will have stations near Moscone Center and Union Square before the end-of-the-line Chinatown station at Washington Street.

What’s going on: Muni is building a 1.7-mile Metro extension that will become part of the T-Third line. It extends northwest from Fourth and King streets, near the Caltrain terminal, above ground to a station at Fourth and Brannan streets before heading underground near Harrison Street. Then it becomes a subway, with stations near Moscone Center and Union Square before the end-of-the-line Chinatown station at Washington Street.

Open: 2019.

Cost: $1.6 billion.

I-580 express lanes

One westbound and two eastbound express lanes are coming to Interstate 580 through Pleasanton and Livermore.

What’s going on: Express lanes — carpool lanes that allow solo drivers to buy their way in at varying fees to keep traffic moving — have slowly made their way into the Bay Area. Regional transportation planners like the concept and plan eventually to convert every carpool lane to an express lane and close the gaps between them.

Next up are the 580 Express Lanes, a project that will bring two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane to Interstate 580 through Pleasanton and Livermore.

Open: Early 2016.

Cost : $55 million.

Richmond-San Rafael Bridge widening

On the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, planners are developing a third lane on the eastbound lower deck and a two-way bike path on the upper deck.

What ’s going on: When the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge opened in 1956, it carried three lanes of traffic on each deck. But a lane disappeared in 1977 when, in the middle of a drought, a pipeline was installed to carry water to Marin County. The pipe is long gone, but Caltrans kept a lane free for stalled cars and maintenance work.

Traffic on the span is up 13 percent over the past five years, and plans are in the works to open a third lane on the eastbound lower deck and a two-way bike path on the upper deck.

Open: October 2017.

Cost : $74 million.

BART to the South Bay

Construction continues on BART’s extension to Warm Springs, a Fremont neighborhood near the Tesla plant.

What’s going on: BART’s long-awaited journey to the South Bay is a story in three parts. Coming first is a 5.4-mile extension from the Fremont Station — the end of the line since the system opened — to Warm Springs, a Fremont neighborhood near the Tesla plant.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is already well along on construction of a 10.2-mile extension that will carry BART south to the Berryessa neighborhood in northeast San Jose, via a Milpitas station near the Great Mall.

The authority doesn’t have the funding for the next phase after that, but it is working on plans to build new tracks south to a downtown San Jose subway, a stop at Diridon Station in San Jose and an end-of-the-line station in Santa Clara.

Open: Warm Springs, early 2016; Berryessa and Milpitas, late 2017; Santa Clara, to be determined.

Cost : Warm Springs, $767 million; Berryessa and Milpitas, $2.3 billion; Santa Clara, $3.4 to $4.7 billion, depending on the number of stations.

Transbay Transit Center

The first phase of San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center, as envisioned by its designers, is set to open in 2017.

What’s going on: The drafty old Transbay Terminal is gone, and its replacement — a quarter-mile-long bus station and retail center with a park on the top and room for trains in the basement — is taking shape south of Mission Street between Beale and Second streets.

The terminal will have a bus deck with a direct ramp to the Bay Bridge, three levels of retail, offices and lobbies, and a train station that could accommodate Caltrain and high-speed rail.

The terminal is the first phase. A rail connection — Caltrain’s long-desired downtown extension — and subterranean train station is the second. No firm plans for funding or building the second phase have been established, but it’s one of the Bay Area’s priority transportation projects.

Open: Phase 1, 2017. Phase 2, unknown.

Cost: Phase 1, $2.1 billion. Phase 2, $3 billion.

Marin-Sonoma Narrows

Highway 101 is being widened between Novato and Petaluma, and it will remain striped for two lanes in each direction indefinitely until future phases north and south of the river are complete.

What’s going on: Highway 101 is the only continuous route through Marin and Sonoma counties. It’s also a congested mess, and the Narrows, where the highway shrinks to two lanes in each direction in and around Petaluma, is a big reason for the backup.

The Marin-Sonoma Narrows project will eventually expand the highway to three lanes each way, with one of those lanes a part-time carpool lane. But this is a seemingly endless project being built in phases as money becomes available.

The freeway is being widened between Novato and Petaluma, and a new bridge over the Petaluma River is under construction. When that’s done, the highway will remain striped for two lanes in each direction indefinitely until future phases north and south of the river are complete.

Open: Probably sometime after 2020.

Cost: $709.2 million.

Highway 4 widening, East Contra Costa BART extension

Highway 4 will be widened from two lanes to four in each direction, reaching from Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch.

What’s going on: Traffic on Highway 4 is routinely backed up during the morning and evening commutes, often from Martinez to Antioch. Widening the freeway and adding a rail link are designed to help.

Widening Highway 4 from two lanes to four in each direction, including a carpool lane, started in 2011 and is being built in phases. It will reach from Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch.

The rail link is known as the East County BART extension, though it will use a type of railcar new to the Bay Area.

Using lightweight, independently powered diesel cars, the line will extend 10 miles from the end-of-the-line Pittsburg/Bay Point station in the median of Highway 4 to Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch, with an intermediate station at Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg.

Open: Highway 4, summer 2016. BART, 2018.

Cost: Highway 4, $882 million. BART, $462 million.
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Old Posted Nov 1, 2015, 7:29 AM
pizzaguy pizzaguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fflint View Post
Public opposition, especially in Berkeley, not only delayed the project but shortened it by more than seven miles. Foes objected to a plan to eliminate parking and a lane of traffic along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
Fucking Berkeley
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