Press Releases

For Immediate Release

MTC LAUNCHES COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION STUDY OF 1-680 CORRIDOR OVER SUNOL GRADE

CONTACT:

Karen Frick
510/464-7704

Catalina Alvarado
510.817.5783

OAKLAND, Calif., June 12, 1998...The second most congested freeway segment in the Bay Area - Interstate 680 between Pleasanton and Milpitas over the Sunol Grade - is the focus of a new study sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). The study will consider the feasibility of high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes, additional bus service, rail service as well as other operational strategies for improving the performance of the I-680 corridorÕs transportation system.

As a first step, commuters driving the freeway will be surveyed to determine the characteristics of their morning commute. A brief questionnaire was mailed last week to the owners of approximately 12,500 vehicles whose license plates were photographed on May 21, 1998, while traveling southbound on I-680 over the Sunol Grade, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.

The questionnaire is designed to let MTC know where the trip originated, where it was going, for what purpose it was made, and how often it is made on a weekly basis. Additional questions will be asked about length of residency at the current address, where the person lived before, the primary reason for locating at the current location, and the extent to which telecommuting or riding the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) rail service - when it starts this fall - are possible options to driving.

Residents who receive a questionnaire are encouraged to complete the survey. "The responses will be held in strictest confidence and an individualÕs name is not recorded," said John McCallum, MTC project manager for the study. Similar surveys have been conducted over the past several years, the most recent one by Caltrans on I-580 at the Altamont Pass Summit on May 18, 1998. "The information obtained through these 'origin-destination' surveys is an invaluable resource to planners seeking answers to difficult transportation problems," noted McCallum.

The one-year study looking at long-range solutions to the congested corridor builds on a study completed early in 1998 by the Congestion Management Agencies of Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. That study focused on the most immediate problem in the corridor - traffic congestion over the Sunol Grade - and concluded that in the short term, the best solution is operational improvements such as a southbound HOV lane, ramp metering and auxiliary lanes. These initial improvements have been funded with state and federal funds and will be phased in over the next five years.

"Some may view these improvements as just a Band-Aid fix to a problem that represents only the tip of the iceberg," said McCallum. "What the current study will be asking and analyzing is the question: How are we going to deal with ongoing congestion problems when large numbers of people commuting to jobs in the Silicon Valley continue to settle in eastern Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and San Joaquin County, where housing is more available and affordable than closer in. What promise do HOV lanes, express and subscription buses, rail service and traffic operation systems hold for addressing future traffic problems?"

Policy oversight for the study will be provided by a Policy Advisory Committee comprised of elected officials from affected jurisdictions and agencies throughout the corridor. Public input will be sought at key points during the study, which is expected to take one year to complete.

MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Area.

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