Good news and bad news for commuters

In March 2004, voters passed Regional Measure 2 which raised the toll $1 on all seven Bay Area bridges. Dumbarton Rail, one of the projects identified for funding, would receive $135 million. MTC organized a Dumbarton Rail study committee. Mark Green, mayor of Union City was chair, and I representing MTC and the cities of San Mateo County was vice chair. Howard Goode, of Caltrain, was the lead staff member. When Goode subsequently retired, Caltrain’s main priority was electrification and funding and not advocating for another project.

In 2008, MTC staff recommended with strong support from Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty shifting $91 million of Dumbarton Rail funds to BART to Warm Springs. In exchange, the Dumbarton project would be repaid in Alameda County Regional Transportation Improvement funds between 2019-2027. This required a vote of the commission after a public hearing in which many turned out to support Dumbarton. When the vote came, I was one of the few who voted nay. It was downhill for Dumbarton after that.

Subsequently, in May 2014, the MTC approved the staff recommendation to relieve Alameda County from repaying the loan to Dumbarton Rail. Dumbarton was not viewed by staff as a viable project. Several speakers opposed this action, many of them Caltrain supporters. Too bad, MTC could not wait until Mark Zuckerberg appeared interested in the rail crossing as well as some private investors.

While the project still had supporters, it did not become doable until recently when Facebook, whose Menlo Park office sits at the west end of Dumbarton Bridge, entered the picture. Now there is a private funder, Plenary Group, involved. And hope abounds.

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At a packed public meeting last week, Warren Slocum, San Mateo County supervisor and MTC commissioner, who has championed Dumbarton Rail, enthused, “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to connect another part of the East Bay with the Peninsula.” It is predicted that, with the help of private funds, Dumbarton Rail could break ground in 2022. Advice to toll payers — make sure you follow what happens to the tolls you pay. Do the funds go primarily for maintenance and to relieve congestion on the bridges?

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The news for high-speed rail is not so good. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ill-timed and not thought-out statement to abandon or delay high-speed rail from Los Angeles to San Francisco and instead just build a small portion in the middle of the state threatens the loss of $3.5 billion in federal funds for this and other projects. After much pushback from transit supporters, the governor tried to push back on his statement and emphasize delay but not giving up. But it may be too late. The Wall Street Journal and Trump are salivating over Newsom’s faux pas. And yes, there are people who commute on a regular if not daily basis between Los Angeles and San Francisco, either polluting the air by car or plane. High-speed rail could divert an estimated 32 million daily vehicles miles traveled statewide, reducing freeway congestion and improving air quality. It could save an estimated 22 million barrels of oil and 18 tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2030.

A large state with a major economy (sixth largest in the world) needs greener connections between its two major cities hundreds of miles apart. If China, Spain, France and Japan can do it, why can’t we?

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.