 
MTC, ABAG Adopt Final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and Environmental Impact Report
MTC in March adopted Plan Bay Area 2050+ and certified the plan’s associated Environmental Impact Report — giving final approval to the Bay Area’s long-range plan for transportation, housing, economic resiliency and environmental sustainability. Plan Bay Area 2050+ was also adopted unanimously by the Association of Bay Area Governments’ (ABAG) Executive Board.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/mtc-abag-adopt-final-plan-bay-area-2050-and-environmental-impact-report
Financial Efficiency Review Independent Oversight Committee Receives Draft Report
MTC on April 1 transmitted to the newly formed Financial Efficiency Review Independent Oversight Committee the draft report for Phase 1 of a two-phase Financial Efficiency Review of four of the Bay Area’s largest transit agencies — AC Transit, BART, Caltrain and SFMTA — as required by last year’s enactment of state Senate Bill 63 (SB 63). The committee held its inaugural meeting April 17 and provided feedback on the draft report.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/financial-efficiency-review-independent-oversight-committee-receives-draft-report
Bay Area Bike Champions Named for 2026
Organizers of Bay Area Bike to Wherever Days (BTWD) announced the winners of the 2026 Bike Champion of the Year awards in April. Drawn from public nominations, these champions are recognized for inspiring bicycling in their communities across the nine Bay Area counties.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/bay-area-bike-champions-named-2026
Work Starts on I-580 Carpool Lane Extension in Oakland
MTC announced in April that construction work will begin on a six-month project to convert the far-left lane of westbound Interstate 580 to a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane from just east of the Piedmont Avenue undercrossing in Oakland to the start of the existing westbound carpool lane near the foot of the MacArthur Maze. The 2.3-mile project marks the Bay Area’s first conversion of a general-purpose lane to a carpool lane.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/work-start-i-580-carpool-lane-extension-oakland
Work at Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Sets Stage for Open Road Tolling
Changes are coming soon to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza, the first of the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA)-managed bridges to be transformed as part of a multi-year conversion to Open Road Tolling (ORT). Work to re-stripe lanes on the bridge approach and to erect a new gantry structure over the westbound lanes to accommodate tolling equipment started in April.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/work-begins-richmond-san-rafael-bridge-open-road-tolling-project
Agencies Launch Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service (MASCOTS) Plan
North Bay transit agencies in April began implementing coordinated service changes as part of the Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service (MASCOTS) Plan — a collaborative effort among nine transit and funding agencies to improve how public transportation works in the Highway 101 corridor. The plan was developed by MTC and regional transit agencies.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/marin-sonoma-coordinated-transit-service-mascots-plan-launches-april-12-2026
New Clipper® START Partnership Automates, Simplifies Verification Process
MTC this year launched a partnership with the California Department of Technology (CDT) to simplify and automate the verification process for CalFresh recipients who apply for the Bay Area’s Clipper START transit-fare discount program.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/new-clipperr-start-partnership-automates-simplifies-verification-process
El Cerrito Plaza BART Station Affordable Housing Gets BAHFA Assist
An El Cerrito Plaza BART Station affordable housing project, which celebrated the start of construction in March, had an early infusion of dollars from the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA). The transit-oriented development project was funded by a multitude of sources, including $2.4 million from BAHFA
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/el-cerrito-plaza-bart-station-affordable-housing-gets-bahfa-assist
BAHFA Partnership Preserves Affordable Housing in St. Helena
Two apartment buildings in St. Helena will maintain their affordable rents – and the tenants will keep their homes – thanks to a partnership between a local property owner, nonprofit housing organization and the BAHFA Housing Preservation Loan Pilot.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/bahfa-partnership-preserves-affordable-housing-st-helena
BAHFA’s Doorway Housing Portal Receives CALCOG Eureka! Award
BAHFA’s Doorway Housing Portal received a Eureka! Award for Regional Excellence from the California Association of Councils of Governments (CALCOG) in March during the organization’s Regional Leadership Forum in Long Beach. The Eureka! Award recognizes regional projects or programs that demonstrate the creative leadership and thinking needed to develop and implement new ideas that can serve as examples or best practices for others to follow.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/bahfas-doorway-housing-portal-receives-calcog-eureka-award
MTC Remembers Life and Legacy of Rod Diridon
Former longtime Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon, Sr., who served as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, died Friday, April 3. He was 87.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/mtc-remembers-life-and-legacy-rod-diridon
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