2001 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)

2001 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN Download in Acrobat (PDF) format: Entire 2001 RTP (13.7 MB) Chapter 1 - Overview (includes cover, credits and contents) Chapter 2 - Travel Trends and Projections 2000 - 2025 Chapter 3 - RTP Goals Chapter 4 - Financial Foundations and Investment Strategy Chapter 5 - Bay Area Travel Corridors Introduction San Francisco Bay Region Golden Gate North Bay East-West Napa Valley Eastshore-North Delta Diablo Tri-Valley Sunol Gateway Eastshore-South Fremont-South Bay Silicon Valley Peninsula San Francisco Transbay Interregional Gateways Attachments A - Projects by County B - Transportation Control Measures (TCMs) C - RTP Supplementary Reports D - RTP-Related Plans E - RTP Strategy to Increase Regional Transit Ridership (Amendment)

Plan de Transporte Regional 2001 (en Español)

RTP-RELATED STUDIES AND REPORTS Regional Transit Expansion Program Lifeline Transportation Network Report Bus Pass Pilot Program for Low Income Students Transportation Air Quality Conformity Analysis 2001 RTP Environmental Impact Report Performance Measures Report 2001 RTP Project Notebook Regional Bicycle Master Plan Equity Analysis and Environmental Justice Report RTP Outreach Findings

The 2001 Regional Transportation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area specifies how some $87 billion (2001 dollars) of anticipated federal, state and local transportation funds will be spent in the nine-county Bay Area during the next 25 years.

The Commission determined the plan was in conformity with federal air quality regulations in March 2002. In November 2002, a strategy to increase ridership was adopted as an amendment to the plan.

The 2001 RTP sets aside nearly $11 billion for major new rail and bus projects that will improve mobility and enhance connectivity for residents throughout the region. This component of the plan is known as the Regional Transit Expansion Program, adopted as Resolution 3434. Included are a BART extension from Fremont to San Jose and Santa Clara; a "Central Subway" that would extend the San Francisco Muni's Third Street light rail line to Chinatown; a BART connector to the Oakland Airport; electrification of the Caltrain route and extension of the line to downtown San Francisco; a significant downpayment on BART extensions or other rail improvements to Livermore and Antioch; the addition of several new regional express bus services; the replacement of the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco; and AC Transit rapid bus service linking Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro.

Resolution 3434 is the successor to MTC's Resolution 1876, which was adopted by the Commission in 1988 and delivered such critical projects as the BART extensions to Pittsburg/Bay Point and Dublin/Pleasanton, the Tasman light-rail extension in Silicon Valley, and the BART extension to the San Francisco International Airport, which is scheduled to open next year.

Among the other initiatives that will receive funding through the plan are a Lifeline Transportation Network that will enhance low-income residents' access to the region's transit systems during both peak commute periods and off-peak hours; a two-year pilot program through which MTC will provide up to $1.73 million to subsidize bus passes for low-income students in the region; the TransLink® universal fare card now being tested on several Bay Area transit systems; the Freeway Service Patrol that assists motorists in distress on the region's freeways; rideshare programs that set up carpool/vanpool ride matches; and the TravInfo® traveler information service -- with a single regionwide phone number (817-1717) -- to provide up-to-the-minute traffic information and connect to transit agencies.

The 2001 Regional Transportation Plan provides funding for dozens of congestion relief projects on Bay Area freeways as well. These include a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel; widening U.S. 101 from the Novato Narrows in Marin County to Windsor in Sonoma County; reconfiguring the Interstate 80/Interstate 680/Route 12 interchange in Fairfield; adding a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane to Interstate 680 over the Sunol Grade; and widening U.S. 101 from Metcalf Road in San Jose to Cochrane Road in Morgan Hill. The plan also includes new bicycle and pedestrian trails around the Bay Area.

While focused on mobility investments, the Regional Transportation Plan also triples funding for MTC land use-oriented initiatives such as the Transportation for Livable Communities program and the Housing Incentive Program that promote transit- and pedestrian-oriented development. These programs signify the plan's commitment to "smart growth" principles designed to address urban sprawl.

Of the total $87.4 billion in transportation revenues that MTC anticipates coming to the Bay Area during the next quarter century, 77 percent ($67.7 billion) is devoted to maintaining and operating the region's existing road, highway and transit network. The remaining 23% ($19.7 billion) provides for new projects or system expansion. Roughly 77 percent of the total funding outlined in the plan will go to public transit--for operations, rehabilitation and expansion.

The Regional Transportation Plan also includes a "Blueprint" section that envisions what could be accomplished if more money becomes available. One new source of funding is Proposition 42, approved by voters on the statewide ballot in March 2002. The state constitutional amendment permanently dedicates 100 percent of the existing state sales tax on gasoline for transportation investments.