Highway 4 expansion paves way for BART extension to Antioch and East County

By Allen Payton

Progress continues on the Antioch BART Station. On Friday, July 10, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) installed a pedestrian bridge over Highway 4 for the future Antioch BART station at Hillcrest Avenue, marking a major milestone in the journey to bring eBART service to eastern Contra Costa County. The 145-foot-long structure was hoisted into place over Highway 4 by a giant crane about 4pm.

Prior to the installation, a tour of the new BART Station was provided by BART and CCTA staff, and included Director Joel Keller, who represents Antioch on the BART Board, and Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock. The tour included a walk through the tunnel beneath the future west-bound lanes of Highway 4, which will run from the BART station to the maintenance facility.

The median is wide enough to allow for both the line to the maintenance facility and two lines of transit for a future extension to Oakley and Brentwood, according to Michael Chann of S&C Engineers, Inc., who are working on the project.

“East County has been waiting a long time for better transit connections to other parts of the Bay Area,” Keller said. “After many, many years of planning and promises, we have started laying the track. The new Antioch Station will provide a high-quality transit connection for the people of East County in just a few years.”

The pedestrian overcrossing will carry BART passengers over the four lanes of westbound Highway 4 to the future Antioch eBART station in the highway median. This station will enable East County residents boarding at Hillcrest Avenue to arrive at the Pittsburg-Bay Point BART Station in 10 minutes. eBART trains will operate on the 20-hour BART schedule and meet BART trains at Pittsburg-Bay Point every 15 minutes. BART’s Pittsburg Center Station is also under construction at Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg.

A video of the bridge lift can be found here: 4eastcounty.org/media/videos

“It’s exciting to see the progress being made at the BART Station at Hillcrest,” Ogorchock stated. “Antioch will finally be getting our long-awaited and promised BART extension. It will not only help our residents who commute out of the area to go to work, it will also open up the opportunity for commercial development and employment around the station.”

The eBART train cars, which are known as DMU’s (for deisel, multilple-unit) can hold up to 200 passengers, and as many as three vehicles can be linked together, allowing the system to move as many as 600 passengers every 15 minutes, for a total of 2,400 passengers per hour, per direction, according to Keller.

The Hillcrest BART extension is projected to be completed and the station open in May, 2018.

“The BART overcrossing installation is a very visible element of progress in providing more mobility to the residents of East County. We are providing not only needed capacity on Highway 4, but expanded transit options, as well,” said Julie Pierce, Chair of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority Board. “That’s how we are working in partnership with other agencies and the community to build a smarter and more efficient transportation network in Contra Costa County.”

The continued expansion of Highway 4 along the BART route has allowed BART to start laying track in the newly expanded medians. BART service is planned to start in 2018.

The Hillcrest Avenue segment of the Highway 4 Corridor projects is the fifth construction segment in the effort to modernize transportation options in eastern Contra Costa. The construction projects for this segment in Antioch will widen the highway from four to eight lanes, including three mixed flow lanes and one High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, and provide a median wide enough for BART.

Renderings of the future BART station can be found here: 4eastcounty.org/media/bart-gallery

The Highway 4 projects include improvements that will help modernize eastern Contra Costa County. The projects expand Highway 4 from four to eight lanes between Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to just west of State Route 160 in Antioch, from two to four lanes from Lone Tree Way to Sand Creek Road in Brentwood, add missing connector ramps at the State Route 160/Highway 4 interchange, and add a BART extension from Pittsburg to Antioch. This will greatly improve transit accessibility for the region, help reduce traffic congestion, and enhance the quality of life for the more than 250,000 residents of eastern Contra Costa County. The projects have been carefully staged to keep 130,000 vehicles per day moving as major construction and demolition work continue. These projects, plus previously constructed projects in the region, bring the total investment in East County to $1.3 billion, including State, Federal, Contra Costa Transportation Authority Measures C and J, regional bridge tolls, and other funds.

For more information on the eBART Project, visit www.bart.gov/about/projects/ecc. For more information on the Highway 4 expansion, visit http://4eastcounty.org/.

WHAT: Installation of BART pedestrian overcrossing by giant crane in Antioch, California

A crane installing the 145-foot-long pedestrian overcrossing at the future Antioch eBART Station at Hillcrest Avenue on Highway 4 in Antioch. The BART station and new tracks are currently under construction. Media will be allowed access near the construction area for photography or videography, and will be able to interview key agency staff.

The 145-foot-long, 13-foot-wide overcrossing will carry pedestrians over the expanded four-lane westbound Highway 4 to the future BART platform at Hillcrest Avenue, providing a seamless BART connection to and from East Contra Costa County. The Antioch BART Station is one element of the $1.3 billion Highway 4 Corridor projects, which will expand Highway 4 between Pittsburg and Brentwood, add missing connector ramps to the State Route 160 interchange, and add BART service for the 250,000 residents of eastern Contra Costa County.

WHO: Joel Keller, District 2 Director, BART; and Ivan Ramirez, Construction Manager, Contra Costa Transportation Authority.

WHEN: Friday, July 10 at approximately 11am. The lift itself is expected to take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

WHERE: The parking lot at the intersection of Sunset Drive and Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch.

The Highway 4 projects include improvements that will help modernize eastern Contra Costa County. The projects expand Highway 4 from four to eight lanes between Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to just west of State Route 160 in Antioch, from two to four lanes from Lone Tree Way to Sand Creek Road in Brentwood, add missing connector ramps at the State Route 160/Highway 4 interchange, and add a BART extension from Pittsburg to Antioch. This will greatly improve transit accessibility for the region, help reduce traffic congestion, and enhance the quality of life for the more than 250,000 residents of eastern Contra Costa County. The projects have been carefully staged to keep 130,000 vehicles per day moving as major construction and demolition work continue. These projects, plus previously constructed projects in the region, bring the total investment in East County to $1.3 billion, including State, Federal, Contra Costa Transportation Authority Measures C and J, regional bridge tolls, and other funds.

By MELISSA JORDAN, BART Senior Web Producer

The Fleet of the Future train cars that begin arriving later this year for testing will have state-of-the-art climate control technology that’s not only more comfortable, but more energy-efficient as well. 

Hot cars are a common complaint from riders on BART’s oldest-in-the-nation trains. From July 1, 2014 – June 5, 2015, more than 200 riders took the time to call or email customer services with climate complaints, and many more used social media to vent with tweets like “hot as the devil’s toenails” (one of the milder ones).

BART has worked to maintain the aging HVAC — heating, ventilation and air conditioning — system on current cars, but major relief will come with the new cars, scheduled to begin passenger service in 2016. (The Board of Directors receives a semi-annual update on the new cars at its meeting this Thursday, June 11, to be webcast at www.bart.gov/board)

“An unbelievable amount of effort has gone into designing these cars to have a large number of improvements for riders,” said Ben Holland, manager of vehicle systems engineering.

Holland explained that in the current cars, the HVAC duct system is placed underneath the floor of the cars. You may have felt cool air at your side if you had a seat by the window.

“It was a very different level of ridership when BART first started,” said Mike Healy, retired longtime spokesman who was with BART since its early days. “The ideal was promoted that every rider would have a seat, and there would be this cool, comfortable air conditioning at every seat.” A November 1965 article in the San Francisco Examiner cited BART’s plan to “Pamper the Passenger,” with the pledge that “Transit passengers will ride in great comfort, with room, light and air conditioning.”

Today, as Healy noted, ridership is bursting at the seams with an average of more than 420,000 trips per day. Standees don’t get much of that precious cool air, and even less personal space than riders with seats.

BETTER AIR FLOW, MORE EFFICIENT

In contrast, the HVAC system on the new train cars will be housed under the car, but the fresh air will be distributed from the ceiling of the cars, providing better air flow throughout the space overall and bringing relief to standees with vents at the top of the car. The heating and cooling system on the new trains will be more energy-efficient, as well.

The new cars will be equipped with an energy saving mode, during which time doors will open at stations only when a passenger is standing in front of them. By opening doors only when necessary, the energy saving mode will help reduce the amount of lost heat or A/C from the cars. The doors will have redundant sensors to detect persons wishing to enter or exit the train.

WHITE ROOF DEFLECTS LIGHT

In addition to an aluminum exterior, which reflects light to help keep cars cool, the new cars also will be equipped with a white roof to further deflect heat and light away from the interior of the train. The white roof will help lessen the load on the interior cooling system, keeping passengers more comfortable and decreasing energy consumption. Finally, when all the new trains get here as they’re rolled out over time, there will be greater capacity to the system — cutting down on the body heat generated in crowded cars.

BART gets some, but many fewer complaints about train cars that are too cold than about those that are too hot, possibly because savvy travelers know about the roller-coaster ride of temperatures in the Bay Area.

THE LAND OF MICROCLIMATES

A factor contributing to the challenges of comfortable air on BART is the Bay Area’s notorious microclimates.

“It’s not unusual to have a 40-degree temperature difference in 40 miles,” said Jan Null, lecturer and researcher at San Jose State University in meteorology and climate science. “There are very few places in the United States, if not the world. with such a differential in such a relatively short space,” said Null, also a former lead forecaster with the National Weather Service. (See graphic above of sample possible temperatures in BART service area, from data provided by Null.)

The “natural air conditioning” that comes from the unique geography of the region keeps it relatively mild overall year-round, but with wide ranges among microclimates of different areas. (Often misattributed to Mark Twain, a famous quip from an unknown author is, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”)

The high-tech sensors of the new trains are designed to keep the inside comfortable for passengers, no matter what’s going on outside — from the sun-drenched hills of Walnut Creek to the pea-soup fog of Daly City.

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

Meanwhile, if you’re stuck in a hot car before the new trains arrive, here are some things to keep in mind:

* The climate on each train car is individually controlled, so if yours is hot, you can try moving to another car. (An empty car on a hot day is often a clue that the air isn’t working well inside that car.)

* The train operator can’t adjust the temperature; however, they can put in a service call for a technician to check it out. Use the phone at the end of each train to speak with the operator and note the number of the car you’re on (located above the doors at each end of the car). If a technician isn’t available right away, the problem can be logged for maintenance later. A hot car typically would not take a train out of service — most riders would rather BART keep a hot train running on time than to delay everyone by taking a train out of service.

* BART is required by a California Public Utilities Commission order to maintain a high level of circuitry overload protection. Electronics are subject to damage when they become hot, and the critical functions are propulsion and communications. When potential of overload occurs, such as when it is extremely hot or extremely cold outside, the non-essential functions (such as heat and A/C) automatically shut off to preserve the critical propulsion and communications features.The blower will continue to deliver a “flow” or “vent,” but there is no heating or cooling.

Meet the Fleet is an occasional ongoing series looking in-depth at different aspects of BART’s new train cars, which are due to arrive with the first of 10 pilot cars for testing in late 2015. The first cars to carry passengers are expected to begin service in 2016. For more details visit www.bart.gov/cars

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES:

There are no full freeway closures planned for this week.

HIGHWAY LANE CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between

Railroad Avenue and California Avenue on Wednesday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

State Route 160:

There are no highway lane closures of State Route 160 planned for this week.

RAMP CLOSURES:

There are no ramp closures planned for this week.

LOCAL STREET CLOSURES:

There are no local street closures planned for this week.

For questions or comments please send e-mail to info@4eastcounty.org.

 

*Revised on May 20, 2015

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

State Route 4 will be closed in the eastbound direction between the eastbound off ramp and the eastbound on ramp at A Street/Lone Tree Way on Saturday morning from 1:00 am to 5:00 am.

State Route 160:

State Route 160 will be closed in the northbound direction between the State Route 4/State Route 160 connector ramp and Main Street on Saturday morning from 12:00 am to 6:00 am. *State Route 160 will be closed in the northbound direction between the State Route 4/State Route 160 connector ramp and Main Street on Wednesday evening from 10:00 pm

to 4:00 am.

HIGHWAY LANE CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Railroad Avenue and California Ave. on Tuesday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between G Street and Hillcrest Avenue on Saturday morning from 12:00 am to 7:00 am.

State Route 160:

There are no highway lane closures of State Route 160 planned for this week.

RAMP CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

The State Route 4 eastbound on ramp at A Street/Lone Tree Way will be closed on Friday (May 15th) evening from 10:00 pm to 8:00 am Saturday morning. Please note: the on ramp will remain open while the adjacent State Route 4 eastbound full freeway closure is in place.

State Route 160:

There are no ramp closures of State Route 160 planned for this week.

For questions or comments please send e-mail to info@4eastcounty.org.

For detour maps, click here: Hwy 4 lane closures 5-16 thru 22-15

East County residents are asked to participate and give their input

BART officials will hold the first ever telephone town hall meeting and webcast on Thursday, May 7, 2015 from 6:30 pm-7:30 pm to offer the public the opportunity to ask questions about BART’s budget which is currently being developed for adoption before July 2015.

BART’s proposed Fiscal Year 2016 Budget prioritizes efforts to increase passenger capacity, improve on-time performance and station cleanliness, and to address concerns raised by customers in the latest customer satisfaction survey.

BART officials will take questions from participants who call in live.  There is also an online webcast feature that allows you to submit a question in writing during the event and watch along live from a computer. You can also simply listen in if you would rather not ask a question. 

The telephone town hall will include a few quick polls to gauge the public’s priorities and an overview of the planned January 1, 2016, 3.4% inflation based fare increase to help fund new train cars, a new train control system, and a new maintenance facility.

“BART will still hold its official public meeting on the budget at the May 28th Board of Directors meeting at 5pm, but this is an opportunity for our riders to easily reach out to us with questions about the budget,” said BART Spokeswoman Alicia Trost.  “Earlier this year we held a Twitter Townhall and it proved to be a great medium to quickly provide answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.  A telephone townhall is another way to provide easy and convenient access to BART staff.”

BART has a combined operating and capital budget of almost $1.6 billion. The operating budget pays for things like running the trains, buying electricity and making routine repairs. The capital budget goes towards things like buying new rail cars, replacing escalators and earthquake safety retrofits.

Here’s what you need to know to participate:

• Sign up in advance to get an invitation to join (we will ask for your name, phone number and zip code).

• We will call the phone number you provide on May 7th at 6:30pm. Just answer our call to be automatically connected to the live Telephone Town Hall Meeting.

• A Spanish Simulcast is also available by dialing 888-400-9342 at 6:30pm on May 7th.

• If you would rather call into the townhall yourself without signing up in advance you can call 855-269-4484 at 6:30pm on May 7th.

• Finally, you can join our webcast to watch the event at 6:30pm on May 7th.

• Want more details about what is proposed in the budget before the event? Check out this article.

Who: Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)

What: A series of public open houses for Bay Area residents to learn about an update to the region’s long-range transportation and housing roadmap known as Plan Bay Area 2040. Participants will view displays and offer comments on long-term goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light-duty trucks, house the region’s projected population, improve public health, maintain the region’s transportation infrastructure and preserve open space, among others. Displays will also feature the schedule and key milestones for the plan update, offer information on how new housing and employment is forecast, and offer information on transportation improvements in the works at the county and regional level.

When & Where:

Contra Costa County: Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Walnut Creek Marriott, 2355 North Main Street, Walnut Creek

Alameda County: Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Alameda County Fairgrounds, Palm Pavilion, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue, Pleasanton (Wheels will run extended bus service on Route 53 between West Dublin/Pleasanton BART and the Fairgrounds.)

Check the plan website at www.planbayarea.org for updates.

Can’t Attend an Open House?

Join the online discussion at planbayarea.org or share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. Note that if you need an interpreter or other assistance in order to participate, we require three days’ notice in order to provide reasonable accommodation. For more information, call (510) 817-5757 or (510) 817-5769 for TDD/TTY.

Will urge Congress to pass long-term funding bill

With the national Highway Trust Fund nearly exhausted and the current federal transportation program set to expire May 31, Bay Area transportation leaders will “Stand Up for Transportation” in San Francisco on Thursday, April 9, which the American Public Transportation Association has designated National Infrastructure Day. More than a dozen transportation agency executives will call on Congress to pass a comprehensive transportation bill with predictable, long-term funding for highways, public transit and the rest of America’s transportation networks.

Who: Dave Cortese, MTC Chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor

Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, Executive Director, Transbay Joint Powers Authority

Arthur L. Dao, Executive Director, Alameda County Transportation Commission

Nuria Fernandez, General Manager and CEO, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Jim Hartnett, General Manager, Caltrain/SamTrans

Randell Iwasaki, Executive Director, Contra Costa Transportation Authority

Nick Josefowitz, Member, BART Board of Directors

Jeff Morales, CEO, California High-Speed Rail Authority

Denis Mulligan, General Manager, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District

Chris Peeples, President, AC Transit Board of Directors

Ed Reiskin, Director of Transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

Bijan Sartipi, Director, Caltrans District 4

Michael Tree, Executive Director, Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority

What: Agency leaders will provide brief but detailed explanations of Bay Area transportation investments imperiled if Congress fails to pass a long-term surface transportation bill.

Watch this short video to learn more about this call to action: http://youtu.be/iiLrULOfy6U

When: Thursday, April 9, 2015, 1 p.m.

Where: Temporary Transbay Terminal, 200 Main Street between Howard & Folsom Streets, San Francisco

The public is urged to contact their Member of Congress and U.S. Senator to ask them to pass the bill. In Antioch, they include Congressmen Jerry McNerney and Mark DeSaulnier and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.