BART

Gearing Up for Livermore and Altamont (Part 1)

Posted by Eric ⋅ 10 November 2009 ⋅ 31 Comments

Residents of Livermore are fond of reminding us every so often that there is an outstanding “debt” to their city. They remind us that they have been paying BART taxes since the district’s beginning, and and that they have been waiting patiently for decades for the construction of their long-promised and past overdue BART extension. … Continue reading →

BART Sets Ridership Record During Bay Bridge Closure

Posted by Eric ⋅ 29 October 2009 ⋅ 12 Comments

A quick remark on the slow posting around here lately: I am now in the middle of a several-week period of time that has been one of the personal busiest and most stressful periods in recent memory. There are several posts and news developments that I have been wanting to write about, but there has … Continue reading →

Oakland City Council Supports Airport Connector, With Conditions

Posted by Eric ⋅ 7 October 2009 ⋅ 6 Comments

Last night, the Oakland City Council voted on two meaty, controversial transportation topics back-to-back. First up was the parking meter fee controversy. Parking meter fees were rolled back from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on a 6-1 vote, and billboard revenue would be used toward filling the budget shortfall that has been reintroduced with the … Continue reading →

Speak at the Oakland City Council Airport Connector Meeting, Win a Prize

Posted by Eric ⋅ 30 September 2009 ⋅ 9 Comments

There’s a big agenda ahead for the Oakland City Council at its meeting, on Tuesday, October 6 at 7:00 p.m. Discussion of the parking meter fees, which occupied a large chunk of the last meeting, will be continued at this next meeting. And then, right after the parking discussion, the full Council will finally turn … Continue reading →

Another Year, Another BART Service Change

Posted by Eric ⋅ 13 September 2009 ⋅ 48 Comments

You’ve probably already heard, but just in case you hadn’t, BART will revert to its pre-2008 headways starting Monday, September 14. The longstanding dream of 15-minute off-peak headways — that sweet spot where more riders are willing to head to a station spontaneously, and use the system like a true metro service — lasted less … Continue reading →

Bay Bridge Update: New Section Inserted, Crack Repairs Underway

Posted by Eric ⋅ 6 September 2009 ⋅ 2 Comments

UPDATE (7 September 2009): The reopening of the Bay Bridge is postponed to Wednesday, September 9 at 5:00 a.m. Please use transit alternatives to get to work on Tuesday. Construction on the Bay Bridge has made swift progress this weekend with the swapping-in of the detour tie-in, a 3600-ton section of double-decker roadway inserted into … Continue reading →

Bay Bridge Update: Old Section of Roadway Removed, New Section Ready to Go In

Posted by Eric ⋅ 5 September 2009 ⋅ 3 Comments

UPDATE (5 September 2009, 11:00 p.m.): A crack is discovered on the eastern span of the Bay Bridge, separate from the construction work being carried out this weekend. The planned Tuesday 5:00 a.m. reopening of the bridge may be postponed. After a snag on Friday afternoon, construction crews for the Bay Bridge were able to … Continue reading →

Complaint Filed with the FTA Against the OAC

Posted by Eric ⋅ 4 September 2009 ⋅ 4 Comments

In the latest chapter in the saga of the BART Oakland Airport Connector (OAC), Public Advocates has filed a formal complaint (PDF) with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on behalf of Urban Habitat, TransForm, and Genesis, claiming that BART has not fully met its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Those obligations … Continue reading →

Is the Oakland Airport Connector a Good TIGER-TIFIA Project? (Part 2)

Posted by Eric ⋅ 18 August 2009 ⋅ 1 Comment

In Part 1 of this post, we gave a little background on the TIFIA and TIGER federal funds that BART will pursue so that it will have enough money to build the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC). In order to tap into both the TIGER and TIFIA pots of money, the OAC will have to pass … Continue reading →

Is the Oakland Airport Connector a Good TIGER-TIFIA Project? (Part 1)

Posted by Eric ⋅ 13 August 2009 ⋅ 5 Comments

Short answer: not exactly. But with the suspense now cleared from the air, let’s back up a bit. As we’ve discussed here a few times before, BART is about $100 million short of the funds it needs to build the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC), a gap which accounts for approximately 20% of the total capital … Continue reading →