Transportation sales tax heads to county voters

“San Mateo County residents are tired of the transportation gridlock in our region,” said Dave Pine, president of the County Board of Supervisors and also a member of the district’s Board of Directors. “If this funding measure is successful, our county will be able to invest in a wide variety of transportation solutions that will reduce traffic congestion and provide a diversity of transit options for residents and visitors alike.”

If approved by two thirds of voters in the county, the tax would last 30 years and bring in an estimated $2.4 billion, or $80 million annually, to be managed by the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. The plan includes five investment categories that include public transit, for which 50 percent of revenue or $1.2 billion would be earmarked; highway and interchange improvements would see 22.5 percent or $540 million; 12.5 percent or $300 million would be reserved for local road improvements and pothole repairs; 10 percent or $240 million would be spent on regional transit connections; and 5 percent or $120 million would go to projects benefiting bicyclists and pedestrians.

According to a draft of the investment plan, specific projects that could see funding from the measure range from the installation of new traffic signals in Foster City, for example, to ferry service in Redwood City and improvements to the State Route 92/Highway 101 interchange.

Spending will be reviewed by an independent citizens’ oversight committee and benefit all cities in the county, according to the report. Also, revenue cannot be taken by the state.

The vote comes about after SamTrans adopted its budget, and various cuts were made to balance it. And $12 billion in unfunded transit needs were identified throughout the county in the “Get Us Moving” outreach process, according to a report.