Nearly $180 million in funding will flow to a variety of important public transportation projects across the region as part of a state grant competition. The funding was part of $800 million in grants statewide that the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) announced on July 7. The Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grants are aimed at improving and expanding public transportation while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The winning Bay Area projects include:
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$49 million for BART to support construction of essential transportation infrastructure at the Lake Merritt, El Cerrito Plaza and West Oakland BART stations to support transit-oriented development that will result in over 2000 new homes being built, with at least 30% affordable housing;
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$10.7 million more for the Howard Ballpark suite of transportation improvements in Jack London District of Oakland;
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$14.5 million for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) to create a new zero-emission express bus service along the I-680 corridor between the Martinez Amtrak station and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station, extending in peak periods to the Pleasanton ACE station. We are working with CCTA as part of their Innovate 680 project, to add mobility hubs along the corridor, to get people to these express buses by bike.
More details on the BART projects:
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At El Cerrito Plaza, specific ped and bike improvements will be refined by the access study currently in progress but will include a bike station with a design that accommodates many types of bikes such as cargo bikes, adaptive bikes and e-bikes, Ohlone Greenway enhancements and safety improvements for east-west crossing of San Pablo Ave as well as a half-mile protected bikeway to provide a safe and comfortable connection for residents and commuters to the San Pablo commercial corridor
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At Lake Merritt, TIRCP ped/bike funds will augment other funds BART and City staff are pursuing to support protected intersections, a two-way bike path on Oak Street (a priority Bike East Bay project), and high visibility crosswalks and pedestrian scale lighting.
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At West Oakland, the funds will augment other funds to support new projected bike lanes on 7th Street and Mandela Parkway improvements, an 18th Street bikeway and a new bike station at West Oakland BART.