MTC eNews: Move date set, SB50 Clipper® Cards available, new data released from Vital Signs and more

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IN THIS ISSUE | We’re Moving | MTC’s New Website | Clipper® Expands | Super Bowl Clipper® Cards | Vital Signs Releases Data | Express Lane Construction | Bay Bridge East Bay Span Implosion | Transportation Award Nominations | New StreetSaver® Website | In Brief | On the Calendar
 
 
 
   
 
 
WE’RE MOVING IN MARCH 2016!
 
Article 1
A World War II-era building in San Francisco’s SoMa has been transformed into the new Bay Area Metro Center, soon to be home to several regional agencies. Rendering by Perkins + Will
MTC will relocate its offices to the newly redeveloped Bay Area Metro Center building at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco over the weekend of March 4-6, 2016. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) will join MTC in relocating its offices that weekend to the Bay Area Metro Center from the Oakland building the two agencies have shared since 1984. And come April, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is expected to relocate its offices to the Bay Area Metro Center from its current headquarters in San Francisco. The coming together of the three regional agencies in a renovated 1940s building is designed to facilitate collaboration on important issues confronting the Bay Area, including climate change, housing affordability, traffic congestion and the like. All three agencies are expected to begin hosting meetings at the Bay Area Metro Center facility in April 2016. Read More
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCING MTC’S NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE
 
Article 2
MTC’s new website has been optimized for mobile devices.
MTC’s website has been modernized with a fresh look for 2016. The design and organization have been optimized to be more mobile-friendly and easier to navigate. While the new look is light and airy, you’ll find in-depth news coverage under “What’s Happening,” and under “Our Work,” info on more than 100 MTC-sponsored projects, programs, services and initiatives designed to improve the transportation network and foster sustainability across the Bay Area. Read More
 
 
 
 
CLIPPER® EXPANDS TO MORE EAST BAY BUS SERVICES
 
Article 3
The MTC-sponsored Clipper® card is your passport to 17 public transit agencies around the region, including four additional East Bay bus systems. Photo by Noah Berger
The family of Bay Area transit agencies that accept Clipper®, the all-in-one transit fare payment card, has expanded to 17 now that four additional East Bay systems have joined the program. Since November 1, County Connection, Tri Delta Transit, WestCAT and Wheels have been accepting Clipper® Cards loaded with cash value as well as a range of monthly passes good for local or express travel. The expansion of Clipper® into more East Bay bus services provides a seamless transition for passengers who use both local buses and BART. Clipper® is managed by MTC, and is used for fare payment on nearly half of all transit trips in the Bay Area. Read More
 
 
 
 
MAKE CLIPPER® YOUR GAME PLAN!
 
Article 3
The commemorative Clipper® cards feature various scenes, including this one of gridiron.
MTC, in partnership with the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, has produced three collectible, limited-edition Clipper® cards in honor of Super Bowl 50, which is taking place on February 7, 2016, at Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara, with associated activities around the Bay in the weeks leading up to the big event. The new Super Bowl 50 transit fare cards can be loaded with cash value or passes, and are available online and at selected retailers. Read More
 
 
 
 
VITAL SIGNS RELEASES TRANSPORTATION DATA
 
Article 4
The latest Vital Signs release shows a significant uptick in the use of public transit and other alternative modes in the Bay Area. Photo by Karl Neilsen
MTC’s Vital Signs initiative is making headlines with nine updated performance indicators for transportation based in part on recently released 2014 data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The Vital Signs release incorporates updated statistics on regional traffic congestion — including a list of the top 10 congestion hotspots in the Bay Area. The stats also document an overall rise in traffic congestion as a result of strong economic conditions, while new interactive maps provide additional detail on congested conditions on the freeway network. In addition, new data on commute mode choices and commute times demonstrate, for the first time in decades, a statistically significant shift away from driving and toward alternative modes like public transit, walking and bicycling. Read More
 
 
 
 
EXPRESS LANES UNDER CONSTRUCTION ALONG I-680
 
Article 5
Workers install foundations for Express Lane signage on Interstate 680 in Contra Costa County. Photo by Noah Berger
You may have wondered about the construction activity along Interstate 680 in Contra Costa County. Crews have been working along the median to convert existing high-occupancy vehicle lanes to Express Lanes, which will result in 23 Express Lane miles through San Ramon, Danville, Alamo and southern Walnut Creek. The Express Lanes are designed to speed users past traffic bottlenecks and will be available for carpoolers toll free and for solo drivers willing to pay a toll. This is MTC’s first Express Lane project, part of a planned 550-mile network of Express Lanes throughout the nine-county region. Read More
 
 
 
 
BAY BRIDGE IMPLOSION MAKES A SPLASH
 
Article 6
Jets of water mark the spot for the recent implosion of the old Bay Bridge East Span pier. Photo by Sam Burbank
Crews recently halted traffic briefly along the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and stopped BART’s transbay service in preparation for the implosion of Pier E3 of the old East Span of the Bay Bridge. The event was a carefully engineered six-second set of 600 micro implosions designed to remove one of the largest pier foundations of the old bridge. Crews activated a bubble curtain to absorb 80 percent of the shock, so as to spare fish and other wildlife. While spectators could see water thrown up in the air and hear low booms from afar, the bulk of the implosion actually occurred underwater. Watch Video
 
 
 
 
CALL FOR TRANSPORTATION AWARDS NOMINATIONS
 
Article 7
Excellence in Motion Award winners are honored with MTC's handsome ball-bearing trophy. Photo by Noah Berger
Do you know a person, project or program that has significantly improved Bay Area transportation over the past two years? Consider submitting a nomination for a 2016 Excellence in Motion Transportation Award for innovations that have made the transportation network more efficient, or efforts that have improved transportation for the elderly and disabled, or that have reduced driving alone. Nominations are being accepted by MTC until April 4, 2016. Read More
 
 
 
 
NEW STREETSAVER® WEBSITE LAUNCHED
 
Article 8
The new mobile-friendly StreetSaver® site provides easy access to MTC’s pavement management software. Photo by Noah Berger
MTC has reengineered the website for StreetSaver®, the leading pavement management tool for the San Francisco Bay Area. The site provides access to the online StreetSaver® software, which is used by all 101 cities and nine counties in the region to track pavement conditions, prescribe maintenance and budget scarce pavement resources. The new website also debuts several features, including blog posts, case studies, and an online academy with self-paced courses and instructor-led webinars. Read More
 
 
 
 
IN BRIEF
 
Bay Area Affordable Housing Projects Receive Boost From Cap-and-Trade Grants   “FAST” Action by Congress to Sustain Federal Transportation Funding
In Brief   In Brief
Photo by Noah Berger   Photo by Martin Stelbrink
     
MTC Awards Parking Management Grants to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions   First Round of Bay Bridge Steel Art Program Awardees Announced
In Brief   In Brief
Photo by Noah Berger   Photo by Sam Burbank
     
In Memoriam: Former MTC Commissioner Mary King   The Bay Lights to Shine on Beginning Jan. 30
In Brief   In Brief
Photo by Noah Berger   Photo by Kingmond Young
     
 
 
 
NOTABLE QUOTE
“The $305 billion, five-year bill [Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST] is the most significant federal reauthorization measure in a decade, and it gives state and local government much-needed certainty in funding for the next several years.”
MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger. Read More
 
 
 
 
ON THE CALENDAR

West Span Bike Path Community Meeting
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Bayside Room, Port of San Francisco
Pier 1 The Embarcadero, San Francisco

The public is invited to attend the first community meeting for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (SFOBB) West Span Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Maintenance (BPM) Path Project, which proposes to construct a bike path from downtown San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island (YBI).The study is being led by the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), with oversight from Caltrans. Please join BATA representatives and project team members to learn about the project and give your feedback on design options. There will be a question and answer period with the project team immediately following an overview presentation as well as interactive stations to give feedback on project options. For more information, contact Peter Lee at plee@mtc.ca.gov.

The Future of Freight: Mobilizing Regional Partners Across the Bay Area
Friday, January 22, 2016
12:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Lunch starts at 11:45 AM
Alameda County Transportation Commission
1111 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland

Cosponsored by MTC, this interactive roundtable will bring together a diverse audience of government leaders, business representatives, industry experts and community partners to discuss how to leverage the freight assets of the Northern California megaregion. Presentations will touch on upcoming legislation, policies and funding opportunities affecting goods movement in the Bay Area. Your input will inform the development of the Alameda Countywide Goods Movement Plan and the update to the Regional Goods Movement Plan. Register Here

How Are We Doing? Come to a Public Listening Session
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, Dahms Auditorium
101 Eighth Street, Oakland
(across from the Lake Merritt BART station)

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are reviewing MTC’s role as the transportation planning agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Come to a “listening session” where these two agencies will take public input on MTC’s performance.

Can’t attend the meeting? Send written comments by March 3, 2016, to:

Stew Sonnenberg
FHWA California Division
650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4-100
Sacramento, CA 95814
Stew.Sonnenberg@dot.gov
  Ted Matley
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration, TRO-9
90 Seventh Street, Suite 15-300
San Francisco, CA 94103-6701
Ted.Matley@dot.gov
To request translation assistance at the meeting or for other accessibiilty needs, please contact MTC Public Information at 510-817-5757 or info@mtc.ca.gov by January 29, 2016, or sooner.
 
 
 
 
MTC: Metropolitan Transportation Commission
 
 
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