BART Moves To Take Closer Look At Livermore Extension
Board directs staff to form partnership with key stakeholders.
Here's information provided by BART:
OAKLAND, CA – BART is moving ahead to form a partnership and intensify research into the possibility of extending service to Livermore. The BART Board of Directors voted unanimously Thursday to direct staff to advance the proposed BART to Livermore Project, Phase 1 to the next level of project development, including environmental review, conceptual engineering, development of Ridership Development Plans, and analysis of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The Board also directed staff to initiate the establishment of a project partnership to, among other things, seek external funding sources to advance the project with no impact on funding for essential BART capital needs.
“We’re hoping to form a closer partnership with the City of Livermore and the Alameda County Transportation Commission as we study this critical link to the Tri-Valley,” BART Board President John McPartland said. “It’s also important to note that as we move forward, we’ll do so with full public access and public participation. We’re going to listen to and respond to our potential riders in the Tri-Valley and to the Bay Area as a whole.”
The project would extend BART five miles to a transfer station, and express bus service. Preliminary estimates are a daily ridership of about 21,000 new riders in 2035. A BART extension to Livermore was initially identified in the 1957 Rail Plan, the first blueprint for the BART system. In 2007, the San Francisco Regional Rail Plan affirmed a Livermore extension as a vital link needed to connect to the regional rail network.
Among the next steps are completing a project level Environmental Impact Report(EIR), which will include a detailed examination of factors such as the impact of alternative alignments and modes of transportation. No BART money will be used to fund the EIR. The overall cost for the project is still being studied, with estimates ranging from $800 million to $1.2 billion.
Michelle
1:16 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
When they are looking at funding, I do hope that they take into account all of the money that citizen's of Livermore have already put it. Money from every person who has even lived here has been put into a "fund" to extend BART to Livermore since the 1960s. I would HOPE that by now from 50 years later that it might come close to covering the cost. That is unless someone spent it on something other than what it was supposed to, which would be a whole new problem that BART would need to deal with.
Bob Vinn
10:28 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Michelle,
Unfortunately, the tax money paid to BART by Livdrmore residents was not put into "a fund to extend BART to Livermore." The property tax that was paid from 1963 until the mid 1990's was used to repay to bonds that were sold to construct the original BART system. The 1/2 cent BART sales tax pays for operation and maintenance of the existing BART system. The BART extensions built or under construction so far, (Pittsburg-Baypoint, SF Airport, Warm Springs, Oakland Airport) all have had to use "new" funding. The current Alameda County Measure B sales tax has contributed significant funding for BART to Warm Springs and the Oakland Airport Connector in Alameda County. Even if the Livermore paid taxes had been put aside to fund the Livermore extension, the cumulative amount paid since the 1960's is not enough to cover the cost of extending BART to Livermore.
Livermore Resident
11:35 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
It seems that BART is coming to Livermore regardless. I know it will help with freeway congestion etc..... But I think it's a bad idea for Livermore. My Neighbors moved from Dublin to Livermore due to the crime that BART brought in. It seems to me Livermore is turning into a high crime city. I have noticed allot thuggish type people here that were not here a few years back. Gang activity seems to be getting allot worse. I don't think our cities police force is good enough for the problems that we currently have. By the time BART gets here I think we will be in a extremely worse situation. We are losing the small town feeling that most of us moved here for.
Steve
9:39 am on Saturday, March 10, 2012
I grew up in Fremont.As soon as bart came in they came down and messed up Fremont.I have lived in Livermore since 1996 and hope it NEVER comes here.