Do you daydream of new ways to cross over or under the San Francisco Bay? Close your eyes and see a fleet of flying cars, carrying commuters to work each day? This could be your time to shine. MTC and ABAG are looking for your biggest, brightest, billion dollar (or more!) ideas for redefining the way we travel in and around the Bay Area.
This month, the agencies are jointly issuing an open Request for Transformative Projects – transportation project ideas that have the potential to revolutionize how we move around the region. Transformative Projects should provide new and creative solutions for transportation in the area and should be large in scale – costing $1 billion or more. Public agencies, individuals, private sector companies and nongovernmental organizations are all encouraged to participate. Proposals are due on September 6, 2018.
Top ideas will be evaluated by a panel of engineers and transportation planners, who will evaluate all project submissions for their feasibility, potential regional benefits, alignment with program goals and creativity. All individual and private-sector contestants are eligible for prizes including a $100 Visa cash card for the finalists and a $500 Visa cash card for the winner.
How to Share Your Big Ideas
MTC and ABAG are looking for big ideas from all sources. No previous planning experience is required to submit a Transformative Project – anyone with a great idea for the future of transportation in the Bay Area is encouraged to participate!
Staff are looking for well thought-out projects that will have a transformative impact on Bay Area communities and the way we move around the region. These could include visionary projects not included in Plan Bay Area 2040 — like the second Transbay Tube or the Central Subway extension — as well as new ideas for capacity-increasing projects, projects resilient against sea level rise, or other transformative operational strategies. Staff will read every entry received, and the goal is to receive potentially actionable plans.
All submissions, both those received from public agencies and individuals, will be weighed equally. Public submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel, which will select five to 10 projects to become part of the analysis for Horizon and Plan Bay Area 2050.
Proposals can be submitted by completing the online form. The Request for Transformative Projects is also open to packages of investments, as long as the cost exceeds $1 billion.
The Request for Transformative Projects is part of the Horizon initiative to explore the challenges and opportunities likely to face the Bay Area between now and 2050. Finalists will be selected in October 2018 and their projects will be considered for further analysis as part of Horizon, and, in 2019, for possible inclusion in Plan Bay Area 2050.
Learn more about the Horizon initiative.
For questions about the Request for Transformative Projects, or the Horizon initiative overall, contact Dave Vautin, MTC/ABAG Horizon Project Manager, at dvautin@bayareametro.gov.
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