An $18.3 million allocation has been approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to fund eight near-term transit priority projects in San Jose, San Francisco, Redwood City and East Bay, Calif. The investments are the first to be made through the $30 million Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID) program.
The project was established as part of the Bay Area Transit Transformation Action Plan to implement quick-build solutions designed to improve service at problem "hotspot" locations identified by transit agencies throughout the region.
Each of the eight approved projects is slated for completion during the next one to three years:
- Park Street Transit Signal Priority and Signal Optimization (Alameda): The project will install transit signal priority and optimize signal timing at four intersections along Park Street from Alameda Avenue to Otis Drive, reducing delays for AC Transit routes 20, 21, OX and 663.
- Monument Corridor Transit Speed Improvements (Concord): The project will add transit priority signals along Monument Boulevard between Detroit Avenue and Mohr Lane and will relocate and reconfigure bus stops to improve efficiency and accessibility. County Connection routes 11, 14, 16, 311, 314, 611, 613, 616 and 619 will benefit from more reliable service and reduced travel times.
- International Boulevard Transit Lane Delineation (Oakland): The project will reduce delays for AC Transit’s Tempo (1T) line, reduce speeding by drivers on non-transit vehicles and improve corridor safety between 14th Ave. and 42nd Ave. through the installation of vertical treatments to separate the existing bus lanes from general purpose lanes and by painting the bus lanes red to deter non-transit vehicles from using the bus lanes
- El Camino Real Bus Boarding Islands & Bus Stop Balancing (Redwood City): To reduce delay for SamTrans routes ECR, 79, 270, 278, 295, 296, 2960 and 397, the project will fund the planning and design of bus boarding islands at stops along El Camino Real between Whipple Avenue and Dumbarton Avenue in Redwood City and unincorporated North Fair Oaks.
- K-Ingleside Rapid Project Ocean Avenue Quick Build (San Francisco): Spanning Ocean Avenue from Junipero Serra Boulevard to Geneva Avenue, the project will increase service reliability and reduce travel times for San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Muni’s K-Ingleside light-rail line by installing longer and wider boarding islands, adding red transit lanes and implementing signal timing refinements and turn restrictions.
- VTA Frequent Network Cloud-Based Transit Signal Priority (San Jose): The project will install next-generation transit signal priority at 174 intersections along Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) Frequent Network in San Jose, reducing delays for numerous bus routes, including 25, 26, 61, 64A, 64B, 70, 71, 72, 73, 77 and 500.
- Vision Zero Senter Road East San Jose Safety Corridor Project (San Jose): The project will reduce delays for VTA routes 70, 72 and 73 by installing bus boarding islands along Senter Road between Story Road and Monterey Road.
- Alvarado-Niles Road Part-Time Transit Lane Pilot (Union City): To reduce congestion-related delays for AC Transit route 97 and Union City Transit routes 1, 3 and 5, the project will install for a two-year pilot period a part-time transit lane along Alvarado-Niles Road from Decoto Road to Almaden Boulevard, providing buses with a dedicated lane during hours with peak traffic congestion.
MTC approved funding for the projects at its regularly scheduled May meeting, after each had been endorsed last month by the multi-agency Regional Network Management Council. Project recommendations were developed based on a two-stage screening process that evaluated potential rider benefits (time savings), equity considerations and feasibility and readiness. Each project will include pre- and post-implementation evaluation to quantify project benefits.
The remaining balance of $12 million in BusAID funding will be used for future funding rounds, when additional projects are identified and ready for implementation.
