There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Railroad Avenue and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 4:30 am to 12:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Hillcrest Ave and State Route 160 on Thursday from 11:00 pm to 4:00 am.

For job growth and reduction in commute traffic

Oakley City Councilman and candidate for District 3 County Supervisor Doug Hardcastle is calling for State Route 239, the route between Brentwood and Tracy, and connectors to the Byron Airport to be included in the Transportation Plan for Our Future, being developed by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA).

State Route 239 has been on the state’s plans for over 50 years and is finally in the planning stages. As Chair of Transplan, the Eastern Contra Costa transportation planning committee, and Vice Chair of Tri Delta Transit, Hardcastle supports the construction of the road as part of the proposed Tri-Link project, which includes a four-lane highway and two lines of transit.

“In order to secure the future of job creation and economic development for East County, we need Route 239 between Brentwood and Tracy to connect our region to Interstate-5,” Hardcastle said.

At last week’s county transportation Authority meeting, a presentation was made by a coalition of “Environmental, Labor, Transportation, Housing, Social Justice, Faith, Civic and other Public Interest Groups” asking the authority board to prohibit Route 239, labeling it “sprawl-inducing.”

“Route 239 will help us have jobs in East County, so people who already live here can work here,” Hardcastle responded. “That will mean people can get out of the commute and no longer be forced to go to jobs out of the area.”

Plans for the Byron Airport include extension of the runway and locating a Fixed Base Operation (FBO), serving commercial pilots who bring their clients into the area for business appointments and pleasure trips. Two connectors are needed, one to the proposed Route 239 and another to Vasco Road, to provide better access to the airport.

“In addition to Route 239, the Byron Airport offers great potential for job creation in East County,” Hardcastle stated. “We need to make sure expansion plans for the airport and better access to it are included in the proposed county transportation plan. That will make the airport more economically viable and no longer require a taxpayer subsidy of $500,000 per year. It needs to be self-funding.”

“But, we need to give it the tools to do so,” he added

Ron Reagan, Chair of the county’s Aviation Advisory Committee and a member of the Contra Costa Land Use Commission, agrees with Hardcastle on the need for better access to the Byron Airport.

“We need better access to the Byron Airport from both sides,” Reagan said. “We need Doug Hardcastle’s leadership in transportation issues, to ensure the Tri-Link project and expansion of the airport are accomplished.”

“I encourage all residents in District 3 to speak out in favor of both Route 239 and improvements to the Byron Airport at the next CCTA Board meeting on January 20^th,” Hardcastle added. “If you can’t attend you can contact the them by email at info@ccta.net or phone call at (925) 256-4700.

For more information on Route 239 and the proposed Tri-Link Project, visit www.trilink239.org. For more information on the Byron Airport visit www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/3802/Byron-Airport-C83. To learn more about the CCTA’s Transportation for Our Future planning process visit www.ccta.net/funding/our_future.

Doug Hardcastle was elected to the Oakley City Council in 2012 and just completed a year as Mayor. From 2000 to 2012 he served as a Director on the Ironhouse Sanitary District Board, for which he served as President in 2010-2011. He currently serves on both the Transplan Committee and the Tri Delta Transit Board of Directors. He and his wife Lyn own Hardcastle’s RV in Oakley. He’s a life-long resident of Contra Costa County. For more information visit www.doughardcastle.com.

Supervisor District 3 includes Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Blackhawk, Diablo, Camino Tassajara, Bethel Island, Byron, Knightsen and part of Antioch. The election is on June 7, 2016.

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

There are no full freeway closures of State Route 4 planned for this week.

State Route 160:

There are no full freeway closures of State Route 160 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 Contra Loma on Monday, January 11 through Friday, January 15 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Contra Loma on Monday, January 11 through Friday, January 15 from 4:30 am to 12:00 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

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are reviewing the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC’s) performance as the transportation planning agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. So MTC is asking “How are we doing?”

What: Public Listening Session Sponsored by FHWA and FTA

Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, Dahms Auditorium

101 Eighth Street, Oakland (across from the Lake Merritt BART Station)

Can’t attend the meeting?

Send written comments by March 3, 2016 to:

Stew Sonnenberg, stew.sonnenberg@dot.gov

FHWA California Division

650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4-100

Sacramento, CA 95814

or

Ted Matley, ted.matley@dot.gov

Federal Transit Administration, TRO-9

90 Seventh Street, Suite 15-300, San Francisco, CA 94103-6701

Do you need an interpreter or any other assistance to participate? Please call 510.817.5757 or 510.817.5769 for TDD/TTY three days in advance.

¿Necesita un intérprete u otra asistencia para participar? Por favor llámenos con tres días de anticipación al 510.817.5757 o 510.817.5769 para TDD/TTY.

您是否需要翻譯員或任何其他幫助才能參加呢？請提前三天致電510.817.5757或聽障專線(TDD/TTY ) 510.817.5769

Sacramento, CA – Today, Assemblyman Jim Frazier (D –Oakley), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Transportation, unveiled legislation to provide much – needed transportation funding for California.

AB 1591will raise over $7 billion annually and fund two major initiatives: trade corridor improvements and road maintenance and rehabilitation.

“California must invest in its trade corridors if we hope to develop and sustain economic vitality,” Frazier stated. “Manufacturers and farmers want to be able to move their goods to market and AB 1591will provide the investments we need to ensure that they can.”

AB 1591 further answers the challenge Governor Brown made last year when he called upon the Legislature to provide $5.9 billion annually to fix state highways.

According to Frazier, “You can’t put out half a fire. The funding proposals developed over the past year do not begin to sufficiently address our highway and bridge maintenance needs. Failure to adequately fund deferred maintenance is short-sighted and will leave our highways congested in gridlock.”

Frazier spent the past seven months listening to the public, industry experts across the state, and his colleagues in order to develop a comprehensive plan to effectively tackle California’s transportation needs. AB 1591 looks to make these investments now, rather than costing us exponentially more in the long-run.

“Anyone who travels on California’s roads or rides our buses and trains can attest to the dire need for significant investment in our state’s infrastructure,” said Assemblymember Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount). “I commend Assemblymember Frazier for his diligence in considering a wide variety of perspectives as he developed this proposal.”

The revenue generated in Frazier’s plan is a portfolio approach drawing equitably from multiple sources. Key components of the transportation funding package include:

• Restoring revenue from weight fees imposed on large trucks to the State Highway Account. This revenue, nearly $1 billion, will be directed to improvements in the state’s major freight corridors;
• Ensuring additional revenues generated are used to address road and bridge maintenance, rehabilitation, and, as appropriate, increases in capacity;
• Allocating cap and trade auction proceeds to transportation projects that ease congestion and therefore provide significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in trade corridors;
• Imposing moderate increases in gas tax, diesel tax, and vehicle registration. The state’s aging infrastructure is degrading at an increasingly rapid pace. These funds will ensure existing assets are protected;
• Repaying outstanding transportation loans.These loans were made at a time when the General Fund was in crisis. That is no longer the case. These funds need to be returned to the transportation purpose for which they were intended;
• Increasing allocations to intercity rail and transit programs;
• Ensuring all vehicle owners pay to support the transportation infrastructure by imposing a nominal surcharge on electric vehicles; and
• Initiating proper oversight on highway expenditures.

To contact Assemblymember Jim Frazier please visit his website at www.asmdc.org/frazier or call his District Office at 925-513-0411. Follow him on Facebook and “Like” him for updates on events and happenings in the 11th Assembly District.

By Allen Payton

A special meeting of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) will be held, tonight, Wednesday, January 6, 2016, to discuss a proposed transportation tax, in addition to Measure J, the current half-cent sales tax for transportation in the county. That tax, approved by voters in 2004, is projected to collect approximately $2.5 billion over its life and will expire at the end of 2034.

The CCTA is expected to seek voter approval for a new half-cent transportation sales tax, that if approved, could raise more than $2 billion dollars over 30 years. The board will discuss development of a Transportation Expenditure Plan (TEP) for a proposed ballot measure, and ways to seek and obtain input from the public and various organizations.

According to the authority’s December 16, 2015 agenda, “Recognizing the benefits realized through Measure C and Measure J, and the continuing needs for transportation improvements throughout Contra Costa County, the Authority at its meeting in March 2015 directed staff to develop a plan for development of a possible TEP to be considered for placement on the ballot in November 2016 or a later general election.”

Following are the three agenda items for tonight’s meeting dealing with the proposed tax:

1.1  Development of a Potential Transportation Expenditure Plan (TEP) – Approve Revised TEP Process Timeline.

1.2  Development of a Potential Transportation Expenditure Plan (TEP) – Introduction to Special Meetings of the Authority Board.

1.3  Presentation and Discussion of “A Community Vision for a New Transportation Tax” Prepared by a Growing Coalition of Environmental, Labor, Transportation, Housing, Social Justice, Faith, Civic and other Public Interest Groups.

That presentation includes a list of proposals for the new transportation tax measure, such as Incentivizing Sustainable, Equitable Development; Local and Regional Transit; Growth Management, which includes prohibiting “sprawl-­inducing projects: These include, among others, the James Donlon Extension, Camino Tassajara Expansion, and Highway 239,” the proposed route between Brentwood and I-5 in Tracy; Global Warming Solutions, stating “Contra Costa should take leadership to exceed the State of California’s mandated reductions for vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs);” Good Local Jobs; Complete Streets, meaning “options for all modes of transportation;” Regional Trail Network; and Accountability and Public Benefits.

The public will have the opportunity to speak on each agenda item.

The meeting is scheduled to be audio cast live on the CCTA website on January 6, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. To listen to the audio cast or download the meeting materials, please visit the Public Meetings page of our website. (Please note that the meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. or immediately following the Planning Committee Meeting, whichever is later.) To view a copy of the meeting agenda, click here.

CCTA meetings are held at 2999 Oak Road, Suite 100 in Walnut Creek. The Board Members from East County are Supervisor Federal Glover, Brentwood Mayor Bob Taylor and Oakley Mayor Kevin Romick.

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

There are no full freeway closures of State Route 4 planned for this week.

State Route 160:

There are no full freeway closures of State Route 160 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 A Street / Lone Tree Way and Railroad Avenue on Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Somersville Road / Auto Center Drive on Monday through Friday from 4:30 am to 12:00 pm.

State Route 160:

There will be highway lane closures in the northbound direction of State Route 160 between the State Route 4 / State Route 160 connector ramp and Main Street on Monday and Tuesday from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

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.

Antioch residents are invited to a presentation about the new Hillcrest Avenue BART Station by Joel Keller, BART Director, Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 7:00 PM at the Antioch Community Center at Prewett Park, 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch.

Get answers to your questions, such as: When will the station be done? When will BART finish the train line? What will the cars look like? How many passengers will they hold? Why is Hillcrest Avenue still under construction? When will the road work be finished?

Presented by BART and the City of Antioch.

For more information about this community meeting please call 925-779-7011.