Transporation Officials Ready To Spend Stimulus Funds

Bay Area transportation officials are predicting an explosion of new projects, the likes of which haven't been since in more than a generation. This is all thanks to the $787 billion stimulus package President Obama signed last week.

On Wednesday, officials determined how they'll spend the money on things such as pot holes, metering lights, BART and high speed rail systems that could dramatically change our transportation system.

Randy Rentschler of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission said, "A few short days after the president has signed the stimulus package, we're here in the Bay Area ready to spend that money right now."

The MTC figures to get $490 million of the federal stimulus money on projects such as intersection resurfacing on 19th Avenue in San Francisco, metering lights on freeway on ramps in Santa Clara county, and the restoration of funding to A-C Transit.

Every Bay Area county will see money coming for traffic improvements and many projects will start as soon as the weather allows. "The construction season is going to be in the summer like it always is and you're going to see a lot more of it this year as a result of actions today," Rentschler said on Wednesday.

Alameda County is set to get almost $24 million, Contra Costa County $17.3 million, Napa County more than $3 million, San Francisco $11 million and Santa Clara County $25.6 million.

Some projects that have been talked about for years will finally get moving. Some $70 million is slated to help link BART to the Oakland Airport with an elevated people-mover system.

Improvements to Vasco Road near Livermore will get about $10 million.

About $179 million will go to dig a fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel.

By far the biggest amount, $8 billion, will go toward building a high-speed rail system linking Los Angeles to San Francisco. "I think over the last ten years this represents a 5000 per cent increase in federal funding for high speed rail. This is a significant change," said Rentschler.

Both Caltrans and BART have to meet deadlines to ensure these projects break ground. The MTC is confident they will. But if not, the MTC has other shovel-ready projects that could use the federal funds.