The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is constructing the State Route 4 (SR4) Sand Creek Road Interchange and 4-Lane Widening through Antioch and Brentwood. As part of the SR4 Widening, the contractor will be performing the following work activities on the following dates:

The westbound SR4 on- and off-ramps at Sand Creek Road will be closed from 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM starting on Wednesday, November 12th and ending on Friday, November 14th. (See detour map by clicking here: CCTA TRAFFIC ADVISORY 2014-11-06)

Reversing traffic control will be in place on SR4 between Balfour Road and Sand Creek Road during the same time. Work will consist of paving operations.

Motorists are advised to use the provided detour or alternate routes and should allow extra time for their commute. For the detour map, please see attachment. The ramps will be closed concurrently.

This work is weather dependent. If it is delayed due to weather conditions, it will be rescheduled for a later time.

Please drive with caution through the work area and leave a safe traveling distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. CCTA appreciates your patience as we work to improve mobility in East Contra Costa County. For the most current information please contact the project hotline number at 925-206-3002 or go to www.4eastcounty.org.

It’s fast, it’s frequent, it’s convenient, and it’s about to open.  BART’s new train to plane service, “BART to OAK,” which provides an easy connection to Oakland International Airport, will open in time for Thanksgiving travel on Saturday, November 22, 2014.

To mark this exciting moment in BART’s history, a public celebration will be held on Friday, November 21, to give the community a chance to check out the new stations, the beautiful art work, and to take a free ride before it opens.

The project broke ground in 2010 and construction cost $484 million for the 3.2 mile, automated guideway, or $151.25 million per mile. It was designed and built by the project team of Flatiron, Parsons and Doppelmayer (for more information, click here) which has already won awards for the systems’ innovative engineering and forward use of technology.

The new connector will replace the AirBART buses and is expected to reduce vehicle traffic on the freeways, as it will be easier for travelers to take BART directly to the airport. Ridership is estimated to be between 4,780 to 5,730 riders per day in the first year, doubling the current the number of estimated AirBART riders, and as much as 10,300 to 14,070 riders per day by 2030, according to a 2009 report by Wilbur Smith Associates, which can be viewed here.

Clean, Easy, and Quick Service 

BART to OAK – Oakland International Airport (OAK) Station.

Starting on Saturday, November 22, 2014, riders will be able to board one of four three-car automated people movers at either the Coliseum Station or the Oakland International Airport Station and take the eight-minute ride at 30 mph.  

“The ride and the experience alone are memorable,” said BART General Manager Grace Crunican. “Riders get a 360 degree view from the windows surrounding the entire car as you travel over the traffic below.  It’s a cable propelled system with light-weight and quiet trains, so it’s like gliding through the air.”

Trains arrive every 5 minutes during peak commute hours (weekdays 8am-8pm) and drop off and pick up riders just steps away from both terminals at OAK.  BART riders have a quick and easy train to train transfer at the Coliseum station.  Riders can use a BART ticket or a Clipper Card. The complete schedule can be found below.

Sample one-way adult fares between the new Oakland International Airport Station and various stations throughout the system include: from Downtown Oakland stations: $7.85; from Downtown San Francisco stations: $10.05; from Downtown Berkeley station $8.50; from Walnut Creek station $9.70; from Fremont $9.85; from Dublin Pleasanton station: $9.80.  Fare listings can be found here: http://www.bart.gov/tickets/calculator

As of Saturday, November 22nd, AirBART buses will no longer be in operation.

Get a Sneak Peek, Join the Celebration

A public celebration will take place on Friday, November 21st at the Coliseum Station from 11am-3pm. The festivities include commemoratives and local music.  All costs of the celebration have been paid through the generous donations of various sponsors. More details can be found at www.bart.gov/grandopening.

Learn more about the newly installed, original art at the Coliseum Station side of the station here, and the Oakland International Airport Station here.  Follow the excitement of the grand opening on our Storify page.

BART is gearing up to carry hundreds of thousands of baseball fans to downtown San Francisco on Friday, October 31 to celebrate the Giants World Series Championship. BART will run its rush hour service all day–using every available train possible. To ensure that everyone can get home safely, trains will run until 2AM. Trains to and from the city will be at maximum length and frequency.

About 100 extra BART employees in yellow vests will be stationed throughout the system to help with crowd control and to assist passengers. BART Police will have extra patrols and extra train technicians were also on hand just in case. Ticket sales tables will be set up at Fremont, Dublin, Bay Point and Millbrae stations to help speed up ticket purchases.

Large crowds are expected and passengers should anticipate long lines and crowded trains. BART will have additional staff on hand to help customers who need assistance and offer crowd control. BART officials are urging fans to buy their round-trip tickets or load up their Clipper® cards before Friday’s ticker tape parade in San Francisco. 

Travel Tips

BART wants everyone to have fun and get to the parade safely. New riders need to know that everyone who rides BART needs a BART ticket or Clipper card to enter the system. 

Here are other Giants parade day tips:
o    Load your Clipper card with extra value or, if buying a BART ticket, purchase a round trip ticket before parade day.
o    Avoid peak commute hours (6AM-9AM and 4PM-6PM).
o   If possible, leave your bike at home or double lock your bike at the station. Trains will be very crowded.
o    Allow extra time to get to San Francisco before the parade begins at 12 Noon.
o    Parking rules and restrictions will be enforced. Consider getting to the station by alternative means such as carpooling, walking, biking (and parking your bike at the station) or taking a bus, as parking lots will fill up very early. Do not park in permit spaces if you don’t have a permit. (Even if you have a reserved space, we cannot guarantee eager fans won’t park there—we will be ticketing).
o    Plan your trip using the BART QuickPlanner but for the most accurate information about the added service, use Real Time Departures.
o    You can get automated BART Service Advisories (BSA) on your phone. BART offers both email and text options. To sign up for BSAs, please visit us at www.bart.gov/alerts.
o    For on-demand service information, you can use our mobile site m.bart.gov or request BART real time departures, service advisories and more via text message. To get started text “BART go” to 468311 or jump right in and text “BART” + your station name. We’ll text you back in seconds. Follow us on Twitter @sfbart for news or @sfbartalert for automated service advisories.

– See more at: http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2014/news20141030#sthash.TcFPJYbI.dpuf

Approximately 40,000 Bay Area students (up to age 18), teachers and chaperones will have the opportunity to ride BART free for educational field trips thanks to a partnership with Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is funding the program.

Bay Area schools may now apply for free BART rides for educational field trips online on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration ends December 31, 2014 or sooner if the program reaches 40,000 riders.

Enrolled students of elementary, middle, and high schools located in the Bay Area on school-sponsored field trips for educational purposes are eligible.

To better serve more students throughout the Bay Area, each school is limited to six field trips. This will allow more schools to participate in the program. To register, go to www.bart.gov/fieldtrips

“Partnering on ‘Free BART Rides for School Field Trips’ is a natural extension of our commitment to a making sure children in the region have a rich educational experience,” said Mimi Hahn, vice president of marketing and communications for the nonprofit aquarium.

Here is a list of some BARTable cultural and educational destinations:

• Davies Symphony Hall: Civic Center BART, walk 3 blocks

• Asian Art Museum: Civic Center BART, Walk 2 blocks

• California Historical Society: Montgomery Street BART, Walk 2 blocks

• Cartoon Art Museum: Montgomery Street BART, Walk 2 blocks

• Children’s Creativity Museum: Powell Street BART, Walk 2 blocks

• Contemporary Jewish Museum: Montgomery Street BART, Walk 2 blocks

• Exploratorium: Embarcadero BART, 15 minute walk

• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: Montgomery Street BART, Walk 3 blocks

• Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Downtown Berkeley BART, Walk 1 block

• Lesher Center for the Arts: Walnut Creek BART, Walk 4 blocks

See more by clicking here.

What do you want in Contra Costa? BART? Buses? Bikes? Roads? Ferries?

In an effort to obtain greater input on the transportation needs and priorities of county residents the Contra Costa Transportation Authority will host a workshop this Thursday, August 28 at 7 p.m. at the Pittsburg City Council Chambers located in the Pittsburg Civic Center at 65 Civic Avenue.

The Countywide Comprehensive Transportation Plan, or CTP, is one of the key planning tools called for in the Measure J Growth Management Program (GMP). Specifically, Measure J requires the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to:

Support efforts to develop and maintain an ongoing planning process with the cities and the County through the funding and development of a Comprehensive Transportation Plan

The CTP provides the overall direction for achieving and maintaining a balanced and functional transportation system within Contra Costa – including a series of strategies and implementing actions – while strengthening links between land use decisions and transportation. It outlines the Authority’s vision for Contra Costa and it establishes goals, strategies, specific projects, and other actions for achieving that vision.

The Authority adopted its first Countywide Plan in 1995. The first major update to the Plan was adopted in July 2000. The second major update, which helped define the Measure J Expenditure Plan and GMP, was adopted in May 2004. The third update was adopted in 2009.

During 2014, the Authority will undertake a fourth update to the CTP. The 2014 Issues and Opportunities brochure, (available for download on the CCTA website, below) sets the stage for the 2014 Update.

If you can’t attend Thursday night’s meeting, you can participate online by sharing your ideas and seeing what other ideas have been submitted by visiting www.keepcontracostamoving.net, and calling (925) 256-4720 or emailing 2014CTP@ccta.net to get a copy of the survey mailed to you.

For more information on the CTP, visit http://ccta.net/_resources/detail/11/1.