Officials warm up to Managed Lanes project project

But at a joint meeting with C/CAG and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority Nov. 16, Canepa said he could support the project if it includes a discount for those who can least afford express lane tolls to drive on those lanes.

He specifically recommended a program implemented in Los Angeles that offers $25 in credit to low-income drivers to travel on the express lanes but, for this project, he wants that number higher.

Another idea to offset the equity concern is to funnel toll revenue from the express lanes into bus service. Projections for toll revenue for express lanes in San Mateo County are between $10 million and $20 million annually.

C/CAG staff is also set to conduct an equity study to help guide policy decisions moving forward.

The $514 million Managed Lanes proposal entails the construction of an additional lane in each direction on the stretch of Highway 101 in San Mateo County between Interstate 380 to the southern end of San Mateo County. The far left lane in each direction would be converted to an express lane with signs and real-time surveillance equipment installed. Those lanes are intended to improve traffic by allowing buses, carpools of three people or more and motorcycles to travel free while charging an electronic toll for other drivers who choose to use them. Express lanes are monitored to ensure drivers maintain speeds of at least 45 mph during peak commute times. Construction is slated to begin in spring 2019 and be completed by mid-2022.

C/CAG boardmember Sam Hindi, also Foster City mayor, has also come around on the project.

“I have a better understanding of the project now and see the opportunities for those who are underserved,” he said at the meeting.

TA boardmember Emily Beach, also a Burlingame councilwoman, articulated a few of those opportunities.

“I started very skeptically about the environmental and equity impacts [of this project] but I’ve come to understand this is going to improve mobility for everyone,” Beach said. “The policy opportunities really excite me and it’s the opportunity, from an equity perspective, not just to do no harm to people who are lower income, but to actually advance equity if we make good policy decisions.

“We can take some of this revenue and then redirect it in ways that can subsidize express bus service, the toll lanes if needed, we can reinvest in communities of concern for last-mile connections,” she continued. “In L.A., they’re doing that and it’s working. We can take it a step further.”

Those policy decisions, including toll rates and how toll revenue is spent, will be made by the owner of the express lanes. The operator of the express lanes will manage day-to-day operation of the facility on behalf of the owner. C/CAG will decide on the owner and operator of the express lanes in December. C/CAG is a joint powers authority comprised of board members representing each city and the county that works on quality of life issues such as air quality and transportation, among others.

There are a variety of potential owner/operator arrangements, but the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, C/CAG itself or a new joint powers board comprised of local officials are the options. The decision, as many boardmembers described it, is between local or regional control of the express lanes.

Board members were more or less split on what owner/operator arrangement they think is best, and many are still undecided.

“I’m on the side of local control and I think with MTC we lose local control and we’d only have one seat on the board,” said county Supervisor Carole Groom, also a TA member. “I think we can figure out between the solid staffs we have in this county plus all the people on our various boards a way to do it.”

Supervisor Don Horsley, also TA chair, said he’s leaning toward handing control over to MTC in part because that agency would then take on the financial risk of the express lanes and would have increased bonding capacity for future projects. MTC also has experience managing express lanes whereas C/CAG or a yet-to-be-created JPA does not.

South San Francisco Mayor Pro Tem Karyl Matsumoto, also a TA and C/CAG board member, argued that deferring to MTC on the project wouldn’t deprive San Mateo County of control.

“I don’t think we’ll lose that much local control [with MTC]. My concern is the financial liability and the bonding capability,” she said. “MTC is the pass-through for all state, federal and local monies and we can’t lose sight of that.”

Doug Kim, C/CAG boardmember and Belmont mayor, said he’s still undecided on who he wants to own and operate the facility, but said he’s partial to an arrangement that has the best chance of ensuring the express lanes eventually extend into San Francisco.

“None of this matters if this toll facility is a bridge to nowhere and once we hit San Francisco it all falls apart,” he said. “The real answer will be what gets us the best chance to get that true connection to San Francisco.”

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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