Pricey wish list for Dumbarton

But the improvements aimed at increasing transit ridership, and in turn alleviating congestion, have a long road to securing funding from competitive state and regional sources. Officials are hopeful, however, the Dumbarton Corridor Study can be used to leverage money toward the congested South Bay route.

The full draft of the study funded by a $1.2 million Facebook donation is expected to be released by an Aug. 15 public meeting where the community will be asked for input. On Wednesday, the SamTrans Board of Directors offered preliminary comments on the 18-month study that touches on six cities, three counties and a slew of transit agencies.

“I’m really excited about this. This is fantastic stuff. I think truly regional measures are perfect for truly regional projects like this,” said SamTrans Board Member Charles Stone, also the mayor of Belmont, according to a live video of the meeting.

The study covered Highway 84, the Caltrans-owned six-lane car bridge connecting Newark to East Palo Alto; the SamTrans-owned rail bridge immediately to the south that has sat unused for years and is in need of major repairs; and improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists.

New rail across the Bay

By 2025, the study recommends a $975 million project to establish a shorter spanning rail shuttle service between Redwood City and Newark. With another $295 million, by 2030 they’d like to extend it to Union City. Offering this new transit service could attract 15,600 daily riders. In a nod to how rare it is to create new connections across the San Francisco Bay, SamTrans noted it would also be the first transbay rail since Bay Area Rapid Transit started running its tunnel to the north in 1974.

In the longer term, by 2035, the goal would be to interlace Dumbarton rail with Caltrain to the west, and Altamont Corridor Express and Capital Corridor to the east — a $327 million project.

The report offers a variety of suggestions, many not even within SamTrans’ direct jurisdiction. Touted as wide overview of potential improvements, the study touches on pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, bus passengers and potential train riders.

“I love the multi-modal nature of it,” said SamTrans Board Member Zoe Kersteen-Tucker.

But with traffic congestion pinching people’s time and improvements not expected for years, SamTrans Board Member Carole Groom, also a San Mateo County supervisor, asked staff “can we go faster?”

Bus service and toll lanes

In the near term, by 2020, enhancements to the car bridge have been proposed. They include increasing the frequency of Dumbarton Express bus service while adding two new routes, and making alterations to the bridge’s approaches such as traffic signals prioritizing buses. The enhancements could cost $51 million to jump-start with $12 million in operational and maintenance costs, according to SamTrans.

Making bus service faster and more desirable could increase ridership by 34 percent with 13,700 daily passengers, according to SamTrans.

Controversial toll lanes have also been proposed to steer drivers toward mass transit.

One recommendation is to restrict the number of general purpose lanes on the six-lane highway bridge. One option is to convert a lane in each direction to an express lane, meaning drivers must pay to use it. Another is to construct a new “contraflow” lane down the center, the direction of which would be switched based on commute patterns, according to SamTrans.

That option touches on an analysis that 79 percent of traffic is directional with East Bay commuters heading west to the jobs-rich Peninsula in the morning, then heading back home in the evening.

Employers have a vested interest in transit improvements, including Menlo Park-headquartered Facebook, which donated the funds to conduct the Dumbarton study.

“As an employer on the corridor, mobility is increasingly one of the important issues we have to address as a company in terms of our success in the region,” said Facebook Public Policy Manager Juan Salazar.

Menlo Park Mayor Kirsten Keith spoke during the public comment section and noted the difficulties residents are facing with nearly 76,000 daily commuters traversing the corridor to employment centers on the Peninsula.

“We have many many jobs on our side of the Bay and less housing. And this is really the commute we’re seeing and our neighbors in Belle Haven are really really struggling with this,” Keith said, adding officials will need to advocate for funding.

Warren Slocum, who represents District 4 on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, said in an email after the meeting that addressing the access issues and congestion on both sides of the bridge has the potential to be the missing link in connecting residents in the East Bay, Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley to jobs here in the heart of Silicon Valley.

“I also want to make it clear to the residents of the 4th District, many of whom will be the most impacted by this project ... [that] I will listen to your concerns and work to make this a win-win for my constituents and people in the larger region,” he said.

Converting a lane in each direction by 2025 could cost $849 million with another $20 million in operating costs. Further enhancing Dumbarton Express bus service into 2030 could carry a $82 million price tag. By making it more difficult for drivers to commute, the thought is it would increase transbay transit ridership to 21,300 daily passengers, a 147 percent increase, according to SamTrans.

For those biking or walking between Redwood City and East Palo Alto, $60 million in overpasses have been proposed at Willow and Marsh roads as well as University Avenue.

Representatives with environmental groups urged the SamTrans board to further connect bike paths to other trails and open space areas.

Big costs for big changes

But a major sticking point for any kind of improvement will be how to finance these costly transportation projects as currently, no funding has been allocated. The proposed new countywide half-cent sales tax officials are debating is also not believed to provide direct support, according to SamTrans officials.

Some are hopeful there could be funds through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Regional Measure 3. MTC will ask Bay Area voters to support hiking bridge tolls up to $3, the funds of which are expected to be in high demand.

A $130 million line item was recently included in a rough expenditure plan, but that would be split between Dumbarton rail, ACE and BART.

Some have remained skeptical, considering the toll hike was supposed to allocate $135 million toward Dumbarton, but most of the funds ended up being diverted to other projects like BART.

During Wednesday’s discussion, officials noted the recommendations in the Dumbarton Corridor Study will require collaboration between numerous jurisdictions and entities. Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as their various transit agencies, will likely be involved. Caltrans, which owns the car bridge where SamTrans has proposed improvements, would also be included. 

SamTrans, which in some ways is trying to distinguish itself as more than a bus company and rebrand as “mobility agency,” will seek public input before returning to the board for approval.

While there is still more work to be done, officials this week were excited to see a major step in a years-long effort to improve transit options along the corridor.

“This is a once in a generational opportunity,” said Dave Pine, a SamTrans board member and county supervisor. “Very exciting.”

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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Twitter: @samantha_weigel