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Oakland Airport Connector
How the OAC fares: An updated financial outlook
BART’s Oakland Airport Connector now under construction may be soaring through the air above Hegenberger Road, but its projected operating budget lies much closer to the ground — so close that it’s digging a hole underground. Back in 2009, when BART was lining up all the local approvals it needed to obtain federal stimulus funding, … Continue reading
A short-lived attempt
Is the Oakland Airport Connector “too costly to stop,” as Matier & Ross wrote at the Chronicle? BART director Robert Raburn, who was elected in part on an anti-OAC campaign in the very same district hosting the OAC, at least made an inquiry and tried to do something to stop it — but then immediately … Continue reading
Is the Oakland Airport Connector Dead?
Last week brought the great news that FTA refused to disburse $70 million of ARRA federal stimulus dollars to the BART Oakland Airport Connector. The natural follow-up question is one I have now been asked numerous times by friends and blog readers: is the Connector dead? Have we at last melted the Wicked Witch of the West? … Continue reading
FTA Rejects Federal Stimulus Funding for BART Oakland Airport Connector
The big news from the day: even though BART and FTA have been working the past couple weeks on a plan to correct the Title VI deficiencies in BART’s Oakland Airport Connector project, today Peter Rogoff sent a letter (PDF) to BART and MTC announcing that BART’s corrective action plan for the OAC has been … Continue reading
OAC Judgment Day is Postponed, But Draws Near
Groundhog Day came a couple days early this year. Yesterday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission faced yet another contentious meeting regarding the BART Oakland Airport Connector. And the Commission faced a remarkably similar question to that which it faced almost one year ago. This time, though, the stakes were higher. Last year, BART promised to MTC … Continue reading
FTA Holds Back on BART OAC Funding
After months of disheartening news in 2009 in which agency after agency rubber-stamped BART’s ill-conceived Oakland Airport Connector project, it was welcome news to learn that the Federal Transit Administration decided to withhold $70 million of ARRA stimulus funding, which BART needs to build the OAC. This announcement comes just a few months after Public … Continue reading
Oakland City Council Supports Airport Connector, With Conditions
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
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
Complaint Filed with the FTA Against the OAC
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)
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
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