The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has started work on the replacement of nearly 50-year-old trackway components next to Richmond Station.
As the project moves forward, crews will focus on rebuilding an interlocking, which is a critical section of track that functions like an intersection for cars by allowing trains to safely move from one line to another. BART has successfully completed similar track replacement projects in Oakland, Concord, Lafayette, Orinda and Hayward.
The work will require track closures at Richmond Station for five weekends starting in January through March, starting with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The shutdown weekends will be January 16-18, January 30-31, February 13-15, February 27-28 and March 13-14. The extra day of work provided by a holiday weekend gives crews a 67 percent boost in time for productive construction compared with a typical two-day weekend.
Riders can avoid construction impacts by going directly to El Cerrito del Norte instead of Richmond Station. Riders can also take a free bus provided by AC Transit between Richmond and El Cerrito del Norte on shutdown weekends.
During these track closure weekends some neighbors and nearby businesses will experience noise coming from equipment and crews along with construction lighting at night. Noise levels are expected to be like those from past maintenance work in the area. Also, in the months prior to and after the weekend shutdowns, some construction activities will occur during hours when BART trains are not running. Any work that can be completed without disruption to service will be facilitated within these windows. The results of this project will be a safer and more reliable system for riders and a quieter BART experience for neighbors.
The project is funded by Measure RR, a $3.5-billion bond measure that voters in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties approved in 2016 to rebuild BART to make the system safer and more reliable.
