The past and the future intersect in a sunset shot of the old and new Bay Bridges, on the cusp of the Labor Day opening of the new East Span. Photo by Karl Nielsen.
At MTC, 2013 was a busy and productive year. We celebrated the grand opening of the Bay Bridge East Span and unveiled the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore. We inaugurated Bay Area Bike Share and adopted Plan Bay Area. Through it all, our talented photographers were climbing catwalks and braving the fog to capture these major milestones and achievements. This colorful digital compilation reviews our eventful year through some of their stunning snapshots. In fact, our entire annual report is paperless for the first time, including our “Year in Numbers,” which features the agency’s complete audited financial statements, the financial highlights from 2013 and our funding allocations. Take a look back with us — and send your own transportation pictures to @MTCBATA on Twitter or Instagram. We’ll post the best to our social media feeds. View the whole “Year in Review” package here.
$10 Billion Dedicated to Transportation and Climate Projects
MTC adopted two funding programs in December, dedicating nearly $10 billion to climate initiatives and improvements to transit networks and low-income housing. The programs address the goals laid out in Plan Bay Area, the long-range regional sustainability strategy that seeks to reduce transportation-related emissions by 18 percent before 2040. The first program allocates the Bay Area’s anticipated $3.2 billion share of State Cap and Trade revenue over the next several decades, distributing it among transportation, housing and climate initiatives. The Core Capacity Challenge Grant program dedicates $7.5 billion over 15 years to capital improvements for the region’s largest transit systems. A detailed breakdown of the funding programs and PDFs of the resolutions are available here.
Do you have a favorite bus driver? Is there an organization in your community that encourages alternative transit? Each year MTC recognizes exceptional individuals and groups that have improved transportation and climate consciousness in the nine-county Bay Area. Winners in the last cycle of the biennial “Excellence in Motion” awards program included Ed Roberts Campus, Berkeley’s disability rights center; the creator of a vanpool service who was known to decorate his vehicles in holiday lights and celebrate his customers’ birthdays; and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s lively and beloved Sunday Streets initiative. Submit your nomination by March 31 online or request a paper nomination form at (510) 817-5757 or info@mtc.ca.gov.
The Left Coast Lifter leaves the left coast. Photo: Barrie Rokeach
With the heavy lifting on the new Bay Bridge East Span now complete, the Left Coast Lifter has left the West Coast. The massive crane barge is ready for its next project: the replacement of New York’s Hudson River Tappan Zee Bridge. The 400-by-100-by-130-foot contraption was built in Portland and China, and specially designed to handle the new East Span’s hefty steel deck pieces. Oakland’s Pier 7 said farewell to its resident Lifter on Sunday, December 22, when the barge-mounted crane started its month-long journey to the East Coast via the Panama Canal. It was rechristened “I Lift New York” in time for its arrival in New York Harbor at the end of January.
The five-month-old Bay Area Bike Share is on a roll, with more than 80,000 rides under its belt. The August 29, 2013, launch placed 700 mint-colored bicycles in San Francisco, San Jose and in three other cities along the Caltrain corridor, and the system is gearing up for expansion later this year. The nation’s first regional bike-sharing network has over 3,200 annual members and over 10,000 casual users. Bay Area Bike Share is a project of MTC’s Climate Initiatives Grant Program. For membership details, head here. More info here.
The final version of Plan Bay Area is available as a digital document, and as a print publication — in limited quantities. The 150-page document is packed with colorful graphs and maps that illustrate the strategy for regional sustainability. Pick one up in person at the MTC Library at 101 Eighth Street in Oakland, or order a copy online.
