An MTC committee last week approved $35 million in Regional Measure 3 toll dollars for a Yerba Buena Island Multiuse Pathway, a Highway 101 bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing in Santa Rosa and an all battery electric ferry project.
To help solve the Bay Area's growing congestion problems, voters in June 2018 approved Regional Measure 3 (RM 3) with 55% overall approval to finance a $4.45 billion slate of highway and transit improvements through an increase of tolls on the region's seven state-owned toll bridges.
On Wednesday, MTC's Programming and Allocations Committee approved RM 3 money for:
• San Francisco Bay Trail/Safe Routes to Transit Program – $16.25 million to the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. This project will complete Segment 4 of the Yerba Buena Island Multi-Use Pathway, extending from the Macalla Road/Treasure Island Road intersection and connecting with the West Side Bridges Class 1 Multi-Use Pathway. The Segment 4 improvements will close a critical gap in the network, establishing a continuous Class 1 path along the west side of Yerba Buena Island between Macalla Road and Forest Road. Construction is expected to begin in early 2026.
• North Bay Transit Improvements – $10.6 million to Santa Rosa for the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing Project. The overcrossing will directly serve the nearby Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) Santa Rosa North station, as well as Santa Rosa Junior College (with connections to Santa Rosa CityBus and Sonoma County Transit), Santa Rosa High School, Coddingtown Mall (including connections to Santa Rosa CityBus, Amtrak Thruway buses, and Mendocino Transit Authority buses), and surrounding neighborhoods.
• Ferry Enhancement Program – $8.89 million to the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) for the Hydrus Vessel Conversion to All Battery Electric Ferry Project. The conversion of the Hydrus is the first planned conversion of SF Bay Ferry’s four Hydrus-Class vessels, with subsequent conversion of three additional vessels in the coming years.
This week's approvals are the latest dollars to come from the RM 3 program. Other major capital projects in the expenditure plan funded to date include:
- New BART cars, $500 million
- Eastridge to BART Regional Connector, $130 million
- Express lanes in Solano County and toll system, $100 million
- Caltrain Downtown Extension, $100 million
- I-680/SR 84 Interchange Reconstruction Project, $85 million
- I-680 Southbound Express Lanes in Alameda County, $80 million
Earlier this month, the RM 3 Independent Oversite Committee met to review a report that is set to go to the state Legislature next month. The report provides updates on the RM 3 expenditure plan, allocations and expenditures, projects and programs that received RM 3 funds, the formation and activities of the Independent Oversight Committee, and other updates related to the implementation and administration of the program.
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