By Linsey Willis, Director of External Affairs, CCTA

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority proudly announces a new partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation– an agency dedicated to advancing transportation technology research – to share knowledge and testing facilities in an effort to advance safer, smarter, more efficient transportation networks that not only benefit both California and Minnesota, but can inform transportation technology implementation across the United States.

MnDOT’s Connected and Automated Vehicle team is actively working to advance research and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems, Connected Vehicle applications and Autonomous Vehicle technologies with the help of MnROAD–the state’s cold weather pavement testing facility. MnROAD has over 50 unique test sections on several roadways, including two 3.5-mile, high-speed corridors on Interstate 94 and a 2.5-mile, low-speed, closed access road. MnDOT also partners with Camp Ripley, a military and civilian training facility operated by the Minnesota National Guard, which has a 4.3-mile emergency vehicle operations course. With some of the most extreme weather conditions in the nation, Minnesota offers testing simulations that cannot be replicated elsewhere, which provides unique opportunities to test the safety features of CV and AV technologies.

Through this partnership, CCTA will have access to MnROAD facilities and likewise, MnDOT will have access to GoMentum Station in Concord, California – one of the largest secure connected and automated vehicle proving grounds in the country. GoMentum Station augments MnDOT’s testing with varied terrain, and real-life infrastructure including roads, bridges, tunnels, intersections and parking lots provide the environment needed to accelerate testing of the first and last mile applications, and the ability to safely test technology to its limits. CCTA also has many long-standing research and manufacturing partnerships that offer coordination opportunities for MnDOT.
“With this new collaboration, we’ll be able to test in conditions that just can’t be replicated here in Contra Costa,” stated Randy Iwasaki, Executive Director of CCTA. “Our partnership with a state agency like MnDOT will open new doors to shared research opportunities for a small agency like ours, and it’s exciting to be partnering with an agency that has similar goals in the arena of connected and automated vehicle technology.”

“Minnesota is excited to partner with one of the nation’s leading institutions in this work as we explore innovations in smart mobility, connected and automated vehicles and how advancing technologies are impacting communities,” said Kristin White, MnDOT CAV-X Executive Director. “Through collaboration and information sharing, we’re committing to learning from CCTA, sharing best practices and together advancing research that supports our regions and national goals. We believe this partnership can be a model for other regions to advance smart mobility.”

About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.
Background on MnDOT CAV Program

MnDOT’s Connected and Automated Vehicle Office (CAV-X) was launched in 2018 and is now one of the nation’s leading tech startups and idea incubators within state government. Building off its strong history in Intelligent Transportation Systems research, CAV-X advances research, policy, planning and strategy to help the Midwest prepare for the changes that advancing technologies will bring. This multi-disciplinary team combines the fields of law, policy, engineering, planning, and communications to develop strategic partnerships that advance the state’s goals to build a safe, equitable, accessible, healthy, and sustainable transportation system. CAV-X oversees over 100 projects in research, deployment and development with more information found at mndot.gov/automated.

About GoMentum Station

GoMentum Station in Concord, California is owned and operated by AAA, and it is the autonomous vehicle testing facility where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority leads and facilitates collaborative partnerships among multiple automobile manufacturers; original equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers; communications suppliers; technology companies; researchers and academia; public agencies and other partners. At GoMentum Station, technology, innovation and commercialization will converge to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure. More information about GoMentum Station is available at gomentumstation.net.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking an individual to serve on the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) as Public Representative on behalf of the County. The individual selected for this position must live in the unincorporated area of the County, be available to attend committee meetings on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 6:00 pm, normally held at the CCTA offices located at 2999 Oak Road, Suite 100, Walnut Creek, have the ability to review CAC agenda packets, and develop input on agenda items beforehand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings presently occur via videoconference. The individual will serve a four-year term in a volunteer capacity and be eligible for reimbursement for travel expenses.

The CCTA Citizen Advisory Committee reviews transportation programs and plans throughout the County (https://ccta.net/about-us/#what-we-do), with the objective of advising and providing recommendations to the CCTA Board of Directors. This includes transportation projects and programs funded by the county half-cent transportation sales tax (“Measure J”) (https://ccta.net/2018/10/17/measure-j), which CCTA oversees. CCTA maintains its standing CAC in order to provide citizen perspective, participation, and involvement in the Measure J-funded and voter-approved Transportation Expenditure Plan and Growth Management Program. The CAC members have an opportunity to learn about and influence transportation and growth issues within Contra Costa County and in other jurisdictions through scheduled presentations by transportation experts, advocates, and CCTA staff.

The deadline to apply is August 31, 2020. For more information on this position, please call (925) 674-7822. To apply, visit the Contra Costa County Boards and Commissions website at www.contracosta.ca.gov/6408, or download an application at www.contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6433. Applicants can fax the completed form to the attention of Robert Sarmiento at (925) 674-7250.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjnkkZQWhU

Start video at the 58 minutes mark.

Delivers Remarks on the Rebuilding of America’s Infrastructure: Faster, Better, Stronger

For the first time in 40 years, President Trump is taking action to right-size the Federal Government’s environmental review process to accelerate America’s infrastructure development

“By streamlining infrastructure approvals, we’ll further expand America’s unprecedented economic boom.” – President Donald J. Trump

On Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at the UPS Hapeville Airport Hub in Atlanta, Georgia, President Donald Trump offered the following remarks announcing a streamlined, modernized environmental review process to accelerate infrastructure projects in America.

“For decades, the single biggest obstacle to building a modern transportation system has been the mountains and mountains of bureaucratic red tape in Washington, D.C.  Before I took office, reviews for highways ballooned to an average of nearly 750 pages in length.  And they were the good ones; they were the short ones.

And I know because I was in business for a long time, and I had to go through a process that was so ridiculous.  It was so ridiculous.  We went through a process for building buildings, usually.  It would take forever.  By the time you’d start building, the market changed.  You said, “You know, the market was good when we started; now the market is lousy.”  So you’d say, “The hell with it.  We won’t build.”  Sometimes you’d start building and you’d say, “That was a mistake.”

But we went through years and years of litigation and tumult, and it was just not good.  But you go through it to an even greater extent.

The maze-like approval process represented lobbyists that were very rich; they were making a lot of money.  I remember I’d go up to Albany, New York, and I’d see my lobbyists up there.  I said, “What are you doing here?”  I knew what they were doing.  They were trying to make it more difficult.  So you had to hire them for more and more work, spend millions and millions of dollars for nothing.

But too often, they caused massive delays, on top of everything else.  And that way, they got their fees over a longer period of time.  It’s one of the reasons why, for example, the average Atlanta driver spends an incredible 77 hours in traffic during a short period of time.

But all of that ends today.  We’re doing something very dramatic.  (Applause.)  We just completed an unprecedented — and I don’t want to say it’s absolutely unprecedented — top-to- bottom overhaul — should have been done years ago — of the infrastructure approval process; this approval process that has cost trillions of dollars over the years for our country and delays like you wouldn’t believe.

This is a truly historic breakthrough, which means better roads, bridges, tunnels, and highways for every UPS driver and every citizen all across our land.  Together, we’re reclaiming America’s proud heritage as a nation of builders and a nation that can get things done, because with these horrible roadblocks that were put in front of us, you couldn’t get it done.  No matter how good you were, you couldn’t get it done.  You’d wait and wait.  You’d go to the next step.  You’d say, ‘You can’t start the next step until you finish the first.’”

“Today’s action is part of my administration’s fierce commitment to slashing the web of needless bureaucracy that is holding back our citizens.  I’ve been wanting to do this from day one.  And we started it on day one — literally, on day one — but it takes a long time.  You have statutory requirements; you have a lot of different roadblocks even to changing it.  But the change you’ll be hearing about in a minute.  And it’s one of the biggest things we can be doing for our country.

The last administration increased the Federal Register by 16,000 pages of job-killing regulations.  Under my administration, we have cut the Federal Register by nearly 25,000 pages, more than any President in history, whether it’s four years, eight years, or in one case, more.  And we, frankly — this, I would think, is maybe the biggest of all.  We did the U.S. Waters — you saw that.  The U.S. Waters Act.  That was a big one.  That was a big one.  (Applause.)

I thought I was going to take a lot of heat when I did that, and instead it was just the opposite.  People came up — grown men that had never cried, even when they were a baby — they were standing behind me when I signed that bill at the White House, and they were crying.  They were crying — because we gave their life back to them.  That took their life away.  It took their livelihood away.  It was a big, big moment.

But this is a big moment today too — probably, possibly equally as big.  Today’s action completely modernizes the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.  We are cutting the federal permitting timeline from a staggering 10 years, 15 years, 18 years, 21 years — you know the story; you’ve seen it — projects that start out.  A young guy heads the project.  By the time it gets approved or disapproved — in many cases, disapproved; usually disapproved — he’s getting ready to retire.

‘So what did you do for your life?’  ‘I worked on one project.  We didn’t get it through in the end.’  No, we won’t get certain projects through for environmental reasons; they have to be environmentally sound.  But you know what?  We’re going to know in a year.  We’re going to know in a year and a half.  We’re not going to know in 20 years.

So we’re cutting the federal permitting timeline for a major project from up to 20 years or more — hard to believe — down to two years or less.  So we have it down to about two years right now, Elaine, and I think two years or less.  And our goal is one year.  And you may get disapproved.  It may — they may vote, at the end, they didn’t like something environmentally or safety-wise, and I’m all for that, but you’re not going to devote a lifetime to doing a project that doesn’t get approved or that gets approved.

And oftentimes, when it gets approved, it comes in at 10, 20, 30 times the cost.  There’s a highway in a certain state — a short road, not even a highway, I guess; more of a roadway.  And they put in.  It was a straight line from point to point.  By the time they finished it, 18 years later, it was this.  It cost tens of times.  It cost many, many, many times more than the original.  It’s a dangerous roadway because there’s turns.  You got to be in good shape.  You got to be wide awake to make those turns.  You got to see those things.  You have to see the guardrails.  Bom.  They had a simple, straight roadway, and now they build it — they end up — it took 17 years to get it approved.  Ended up costing many, many times what the original estimates were, and it’s no good.  It’s not good.

Under the last administration, a mere 7 percent of reviews for federal highways were processed within two years.  Now what we’re doing is the two years won’t be the exception; it’ll be the rule.  So what we’re doing is, we’re going to have that coming down at a much steeper rate.  This will reduce approval times for highways alone by at least 70 percent.  But the 70 percent is a very unambitious number because the number is going to be actually much lower than that.

At the heart of the reforms is the One Federal Decision policy.  It really spells it out when you hear that name: One Federal Decision.  Before, applicants for infrastructure permits were forced to spend years and years navigating a labyrinth of federal agencies, and every single one had a power to stop a project.  Anytime you went to an agency, they had a power to stop it.  And it would stop the project — not only stop it; but right in its tracks it would stop it.

With our reforms, there will be one quick and fair decision.  We’re going to give every project a clear answer: Yes or no.  Yes or no.  The two-year process, where just to submit is two years, is not acceptable.  It’s going to be a very quick ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ after study, but the studies are going to go quickly and they’re going to go simultaneously.

So if you’re in numerous agencies, you’re all going at the same time.  Instead of waiting for one, for two, for three — and oftentimes, you’d go through one, it would take you six months, and then you have to wait 90 days, and then you have a review period, and then you start the second one.  And now you go for another four months, and then you wait 90 days, and you have a review period.  And sometimes you had to go through 9, 10, 12 different agencies.  So even if you did absolute rapid, it was many, many years before you could even think about starting it.

We have up here, by the way — that’s a chart of the old system and the new system.  And I think the new system is better.  (Applause.)  I think it’s better not only in time; I think it’s better in terms of the process, and I think it’s better in terms of the importance from an environmental and a safety standpoint.

But take a look at that.  This is what you had to go through.  In fact, it was much more dramatic when I first came up with this about a year ago.  We took that and we rolled it out.  It was so dramatic.  And it just kept going and going.  So the difference is that.  And many of those steps, you had to wait before you could even think about going to the next one, and you had to get full approvals.

Any one of those colors, where there was a problem or a rejection, meant it was dead.  And now you go through this very simple, but very comprehensive solution.  And it’s a beautiful thing, especially if you understand construction and building, and other things beyond building, like I do.

At the same time, we’ll maintain America’s gold standard environmental protections.  The United States will continue to have among the very cleanest air and cleanest water on Earth — which we do now.”

MODERNIZING ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS: For the first time in 40 years, President Donald J. Trump is taking action to right-size the Federal Government’s environmental review process.

• The Trump Administration is issuing a final rule that will modernize and accelerate environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), so that infrastructure can be built in a timely, efficient, and affordable manner.
• This marks the end of a multi-year review, which produced more than 1.1 million public comments and involved a broad range of stakeholders.
• The final rule modernizes Federal NEPA regulations, including by codifying certain court decisions to clarify NEPA’s application and by expanding public involvement in NEPA reviews through the use of modern technology.
• The rule also improves management by incorporating President Trump’s One Federal Decision policy, establishing time limits of two years for completion of environmental impact statements, when required, and one year for completion of environmental assessments.
• Together, these common sense reforms will slash unnecessary government bureaucracy and accelerate important infrastructure projects all across the Nation.

STREAMLINING INFRASTRUCTURE APPROVALS: The Federal environmental review process has historically been far too complex, costly, and time consuming.

• Since NEPA’s enactment, the environmental review process has been burdensome for both Federal agencies conducting reviews and Americans seeking permits or approvals.
• Environmental impact statements average over 650 pages, and it takes Federal agencies on average four and a half years to conduct required reviews.
• According to the Council on Environmental Quality, environmental impact statements for highway projects take more than seven years on average and often take a decade or more.
• NEPA reviews are also frequently challenged in court, making it very challenging for businesses and communities to plan, finance, and build projects in the United States.

CUTTING RED TAPE: President Trump is reversing years of burdensome overregulation and administrative abuse, simultaneously ensuring meaningful environmental reviews and spurring economic growth.

• President Trump is making good on his promise to conduct historic deregulation, removing job killing regulations that have stifled economic growth for far too long.
• Already the President has reversed burdensome regulations like the Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States rule and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.
• President Trump also did away with the Obama Administration’s expensive, heavy handed, and job-killing Clean Power Plan, replacing it with the much improved Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule.
• The President launched his Governors’ Initiative on Regulatory Innovation to cut outdated regulations, put people over paperwork, and align Federal and State regulations.
• Under President Trump, the United States has remained a world leader in protecting the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while becoming the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world.

 

For transportation, housing, economy and environment for next three decades

Plan Bay Area 2050’s Draft Blueprint is available for public comment through August 10, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO, July 10, 2020 . . . The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) are inviting the Bay Area public to provide input on the newly released Plan Bay Area 2050 Draft Blueprint, a 30-year regional vision that seeks to create a more affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant Bay Area for all. The Draft Blueprint is being released today for a public comment period that will run through August 10, 2020.

Given the myriad challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses to the Bay Area, MTC and ABAG will hold virtual workshops and telephone town halls through August 7, 2020. Both organizations want to hear from all Bay Area residents in order to incorporate diverse voices from across our region. Input received by the agencies will be used to further refine the Final Blueprint to create a more resilient and equitable Bay Area for future generations. The Final Blueprint is slated for approval in late 2020 and will be integrated into Plan Bay Area 2050 prior to its adoption in 2021.

The Plan Bay Area 2050 Draft Blueprint weaves together transportation, housing, economic and environmental strategies, alongside an expanded set of growth geographies, to advance critical climate and equity goals. Designed to accommodate the 1.5 million new homes necessary to house future growth and address overcrowding, as well as 1.4 million new jobs, the Draft Blueprint integrates critical strategies to address our severe and longstanding housing crisis. With infrastructure investments in walking, biking and public transportation – as well as sea level protections designed to keep most Bay Area communities from flooding through 2050 – the Draft Blueprint makes meaningful steps towards the adopted Plan Bay Area 2050 Vision.

Plan Bay Area 2050 is a joint initiative of MTC and ABAG. For more information on Plan Bay Area 2050 or to provide comments on the Draft Blueprint, visit: www.planbayarea.org. The entire list of public events can be found here: www.planbayarea.org/meetings-and-events/upcoming-public-events.

See previous plans here – Plan 2040  Plan Bay Area

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. ABAG’s mission is to strengthen cooperation and collaboration across local governments to build healthier, stronger communities.

850 more stalls; construction to be completed in multiple stages

As we expand parking at Antioch Station, we will also be making some modifications to the existing parking lot and access roads to comply with codes and improve traffic circulation and curbside operations. These modifications include: relocating permit parking, bike lockers, and the passenger loading zone; relocating and increasing ADA and motorcycle parking, designating spaces for future electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, providing a dedicated bus lane, and other access improvements.

Construction of the Antioch Station Parking Expansion Lot Project began on May 21. The project, located just east of and adjacent to the existing lot, includes:

• Construction of approximately 850 fee parking stalls
• Dedicated ADA accessible sidewalk to the Antioch Station
• Lighting
• Landscaping surrounding the new parking lot

We anticipate the opening of the new parking lot in early 2021.

All parking stalls that are to be removed or closed temporarily for construction will be signed at least 72 hours in advance. Please look out for barricades and signage to guide you around the work areas during this time.

Construction will occur in multiple stages to ensure that ADA parking, permit, and motorcycle stalls remain available at all times. At this time, Stages 1 and 2 are shown below. An update will be provided for Stages 3 and 4 which are anticipated to occur during September.
– Stage 1: Relocate permit parking; relocate and increase motorcycle parking.
– Stage 2: Construct dedicated bus lane (traffic flow during construction will not be significantly impacted); establish new ADA parking and future EV charging stations; motorcycle parking will be temporarily relocated as shown; install new railing to enhance station access.

Please see the maps of work areas for each stage of construction.

We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience during this construction.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, some BART projects, including the Antioch Station Parking Expansion Project, have been designated as essential. For this reason, construction activities on the Antioch Station Parking Expansion Project will continue for the time being. BART and Contractors will ensure that workers comply with all CDC guidelines including the social distancing requirement. BART and Contractors will make adjustments as updates to the current situation are provided.

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) are constructing the first phase of a multi-phased project to improve safety and help reduce congestion at the Interstate-680/State Route 4 Interchange in central Contra Costa County. In order to facilitate a key phase of construction that will shift traffic onto newly constructed facilities, the agencies are planning significant traffic shifts prior to, during and after the Memorial Day Weekend which will impact SR-4 and both of the I-680 connector ramps spanning Martinez, Pacheco, and Concord. CCTA and Caltrans have scheduled the closures during evening/nighttime hours and over the weekend in order to minimize impacts to the motoring public.

Nightly lane closures of SR-4 (from Pacheco Boulevard to Solano Way) and the I-680 connector ramps in both directions (northbound and southbound connectors to SR-4) will continue from May 28 –31, 2020. The work taking place during this time will enable traffic to move onto newly constructed facilities as they are completed, including:

• Northbound Interstate 680 connector ramp to Eastbound State Route 4
• Westbound State Route 4 connector ramp to Northbound Interstate 680
• New Grayson Creek Eastbound and Westbound bridges
• Shifting traffic onto the new median concrete pavement widening on State Route 4 between Pacheco Boulevard and Walnut Creek Bridge

Planned closures include:
Thursday, May 28 through Sunday May 31, 2020: Varies by evening, see below for specific times
Nightly full freeway closures for Eastbound and Westbound State Route 4 and full closure of the following ramps:

• Full ramp closure of Eastbound SR-4 connector to Northbound I-680
• Full ramp closure of Southbound I-680 connector to Eastbound SR-4
• Full Ramp closure of Northbound I-680 connector to Eastbound SR-4

Thursday, May 28, 2020: 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Full freeway closure of Eastbound SR-4 from Pacheco Boulevard to Solano Way including full ramp closures listed above.

Friday, May 29, 2020: 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Full Freeway closure of Westbound SR-4 between Solano Way and Pacheco Boulevard including full ramp closures listed above.

Saturday May 30, 2020: 12:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Full Freeway closure of Eastbound SR-4 between Pacheco Boulevard to Solano Way including full ramp closures listed above.

Sunday May 31: 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Full freeway closure of Westbound SR-4 between Solano Way and Pacheco Boulevard including full ramp closures listed above.

Motorists are advised to be alert for on-site closure and detour signs, and to Slow for the Cone Zone.  Please drive with caution through the detours and leave a safe traveling distance between your vehicle and vehicle ahead of you. Please note that the construction schedule and closure information presented here are subject to change based on weather and other conditions. We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation as we work to complete these important improvements.

About the Interstate 680/State Route 4 Interchange Improvement Project
The Interstate 680/State Route 4 Interchange Improvement Project will widen approximately four miles of State Route 4 in both directions between Morello Avenue in Martinez and State Route 242 by adding a third lane in the eastbound and westbound directions to improve on-ramp and off-ramp merging.  The project also includes widening of five structures, extending eastbound State Route 4’s carpool lane approximately two miles, installation of safety lighting, and replacement of the Grayson Creek Bridge to bring it up to current State bridge safety codes.  This segment of work in this multi-phased project will lay the groundwork for future improvements to connector ramps, improve traffic safety and enhance traffic flow.

 

Sacramento – Earlier today, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, the Assembly Transportation Committee Chaired by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Fairfield) held an oversight hearing on the California High Speed Rail Authority’s (HSRA) 2020 Draft Business Plan. The HSRA is required to adopt and submit a final business plan to the Legislature on May 1st every two years that details funding, financing and ridership estimates for the entire project.

Since the Legislature first envisioned high-speed rail in the state in 1996 and residents first voted on Prop 1A in 2008 to help fund the project, the general idea for how the state would accomplish this has largely remained the same. The actual business plan authored by the Authority however has been riddled with issues and come under increased scrutiny from the Legislature as costs and deadlines have ballooned while reports of dysfunction and organizational chaos have become widespread.

“Once again, it seems the High-Speed Rail Authority has released in the 2020 Draft Business Plan a proposal for its future that it can’t afford and that won’t deliver what is promised. Every version of the Business Plan has increased costs and reduced scope and no longer resembles the vision promised in the 2008 ballot measure’’, said Assemblymember Frazier. “Despite efforts by myself and some of my colleagues, the Authority continues to propose electrifying a segment of a train line in the Central Valley that will add billions of dollars to the project and provide little or no benefit.”

“I believe there is a way to rescue this project from failure, but I think it requires honest evaluation and true cost-benefit analysis, neither of which the Authority has ever been able to provide”, continued Frazier. “Every iteration of the business plan comes with new promises without results. It is going to take a lot of explanation for me to believe that, this time, the Authority’s cost and ridership estimates are legitimate, and this is something the state should continue to invest in.”

Development of high-speed rail in California began more than 20 years ago.  SB 1420 (Kopp), Chapter 796, Statutes of 1996, created HSRA to direct development and implementation of intercity high-speed rail service that would be fully coordinated with other public transportation services.

For more information on this legislation or to learn more about Assemblymember Frazier, please visit his website.

Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.

County health orders in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, and San Mateo now require all riders to wear face coverings inside BART stations and on-board trains.  The orders also require BART to take reasonable measures to remind the public that they need facing coverings and “must take all reasonable steps to prohibit any member of the public who is not wearing a face covering from entering and must not serve that person if those efforts are unsuccessful and seek to remove that person.” Failure to comply with the emergency health order is a misdemeanor.  Enforcement begins on Wednesday, April 22.

Prior to the order, most BART riders were already wearing face coverings while riding. BART will take the following steps to be compliant with the new orders:

Public Communication

• Signs with pictograms and translations will be posted in all stations.
• PA announcements will be made inside stations and on-board trains.
• Platform digital signs will rotate a message.
• Website and social media posts will be made.

BART Police Deployment and Enforcement Strategies 

BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez recently shifted deployment to focus police resources to the entrances of stations and near the faregates. This strategy was put into place to improve safety for our employees and riders and to prevent illegal behavior from occurring.  Continuing this deployment will help BART enforce the new orders.

BART Police will be responsible for reminding riders of the new requirement.  Consistent with BART’s current operating procedures, Station Agents will not be used to enforce the new public health emergency orders as they are not trained law enforcement personnel.
BART Police will give verbal reminders of the requirement to riders without face coverings when police encounter someone not covering their mouth and nose.  Police personnel will remind the rider they have the option to use any material to cover their face. Only upon refusal to cover their face with any material will an officer ask the person to leave the system.

Riders should not confront others without a face covering.  If someone isn’t wearing a face covering, riders should move away from the individual.

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings that can be fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials.  The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators.  Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.