Press Releases

For Immediate Release

MTC TO HOLD FOUR PUBLIC HEARINGS ON REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN

CONTACT:

JOE CURLEY
510.817.5847

OAKLAND, Calif., SEPT. 9, 1998.... The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will hold four public hearings to discuss the Draft 1998 Regional Transportation Plan and solicit public comment. The dates and locations of the hearings are:

North Bay -Wednesday, September 16, 1998, 7-9 p.m.
Petaluma Community Center
320 North McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma, CA

South Bay - Thursday, September 17, 7-9 p.m.
San Jose City Council Chamber
801 North First Street, San Jose, CA

West Bay/Peninsula - Wednesday, September 23, 7-9 p.m.
South San Francisco Conference Center
255 South Airport Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA

East Bay/Tri-Valley - Thursday, September 24, 7-9 p.m.
Dublin Civic Center
100 Civic Plaza, Dublin, CA

Accounting for over $88 billion in transportation revenues and expenditures, the Draft 1998 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is a blueprint to guide transportation investments in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area over the next 20 years. The plan specifies the investments and strategies necessary for the maintenance, management and improvement of the Bay Area transportation network, including mass transit, highway, railroad, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Last revised in 1996, the 1998 RTP will cover the years 1999-2018.

"The development of the draft RTP has been a collaborative process, with input from cities, counties, public transit operators, local agencies, community groups and members of the public," notes MTC Executive Director Lawrence D. Dahms. "The upcoming public hearings give citizens around the region an opportunity to examine the planning proposals that have resulted from this process, and to give us their comments. We strongly encourage all interested parties to attend."

The public hearings will be informal in nature, beginning with a short open-house segment (with display materials available for viewing and MTC staff on-hand to answer questions). This will be followed by a presentation and public comment period. For more information (including directions to the workshop locations), contact the MTC Public Information Office by telephone at 510/817-5757.

In addition to comments made at public hearings, MTC also will accept written comments on the draft plan through September 30, 1998. Comments may be directed by mail to Metropolitan Transportation Commission, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607, Attention Michelle Brubaker, Planning Section. Faxes should be directed to MTC at 510/817-5848, and e-mail comments should be sent to: info@mtc.ca.gov.

The draft 1998 RTP, and its associated draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), may be viewed at major public libraries in the Bay Area, including the MTC-ABAG Library in Oakland. A downloadable version of the draft RTP (not including the EIR) is available on MTCÕs World Wide Web site at http://www.mtc.ca.gov. Individual copies of both the RTP and EIR may be ordered from the MTC-ABAG Library by e-mail: library@mtc.ca.gov, by fax: 510/817-5932, or by telephone: 510/817-5836.

Comments on the draft Environmental Impact Report must be made in writing and received by MTC by 5 p.m. on October 12, 1998. Written comments may be sent to Craig Goldblatt, Environmental Review Officer, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607, or faxed to 510/817-5848, or e-mailed to cgoldblatt@mtc.ca.gov.

Final MTC adoption of the 1998 Regional Transportation Plan is currently scheduled for the Commission meeting on October 28, 1998, in Oakland.

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

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