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Several prominent elected officials representing the San Ramon Valley and greater Bay Area joined representatives from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority last week for a virtual press conference announcing and celebrating the award of a $166 million “mega-grant” to fund the agency’s Innovate 680 project.
Danville Councilmember and CCTA Chair Newell Arnerich, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) joined CCTA Executive Director Tim Haile and Metropolitan Transportation Commission Executive Director Andy Fremier on Oct. 31 to celebrate and provide comments on the hefty grant – “the largest federal infrastructure grant awarded” within the state this year, according to officials – that was made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that was passed in 2021.
“This is a monumental award for Contra Costa County and the greater Bay Area,” CCTA Haile said. “Thousands rely on this corridor and increased congestion has led to unacceptable delays. CCTA is excited to advance the I-680 corridor through focused modernizations that will maximize efficiency and promote shared transportation.”
In the years since its inception, the infrastructure bill has gone on to provide funding for more than $11 billion in funding to 2,014 projects throughout the nation aimed at contending with environmental challenges, settling water rights with and making investments in indigenous territories, and ecosystem restoration, officials said.
A portion of that funding is going toward clean transportation initiatives, with the $166 million grant to CCTA being part of a total of $220 million awarded statewide for transit projects since last month, according to an announcement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, and of the $360 million awarded in total from the federal bill to California projects.
While Newsom pointed to a number of significant projects benefiting from funding under the recent infrastructure bill, the grant for the Innovate 680 project is the largest so far in the state.
Innovate 680 is described by CCTA officials as a vision that will connect the full I-680 corridor throughout Contra Costa County, spanning from San Ramon to Martinez, by addressing existing traffic congestion and seeking to facilitate travel between communities along the route.
“CCTA is grateful for the efforts our federal delegates made to secure much needed federal dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for California infrastructure improvements,” Arnerich said. “Upgrading I-680 will truly improve our quality of lives as they ease congestion, make our roads safer, and boost our economy by creating 3,500 direct and indirect jobs per year for the duration of the projects.”
According to information from CCTA, Innovate 680 is a “congestion management plan” for the corridor consisting of six different projects. The first is part-time transit lanes – either shoulder or transit-only lanes – for buses to navigate past traffic during busy hours that is intended to “make transit a more reliable and attractive travel option.” Specifically, the part-time transit lanes are planned for between Bollinger Canyon and Ygnacio Valley roads, alongside additional buses.
The second project is to extend existing express lanes between Rudgear Road in Walnut Creek through the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, which would mean nearly 25 miles of continuous northbound express lanes throughout the corridor aimed at decreasing travel times for carpools and motorcycles.
The third project is increasing the use of advanced technology throughout the corridor via a county-wide data center that will be fueled by information from Integrated Corridor Management and Adaptive Ramp Metering systems and provide real-time traffic information that can inform adjustments to traffic signals and keep travelers informed on the latest traffic conditions.
The fourth project is set to consist of “shared mobility hubs” installed at existing park and ride lots along the corridor between Bollinger Canyon Road and State Route 4.
“These hubs will complement part-time transit lanes and connections to other modes, such as microtransit, carpooling, vanpooling, ride-sourcing (i.e., Uber, Lyft), and bicycle and pedestrian facilities,” CCTA officials said in the program’s brochure.
The fifth project will be to implement a “Mobility As A Service” model for both public and private transit services aimed at adapting to the personalized needs of travelers “allowing you to plan, pay, and receive rewards for your trip,” CCTA officials said.
The sixth and final project listed in information for Innovate 680 consists of automated driving systems.
“Safety data gathered during this pilot project will inform the development of technology that allows infrastructure and vehicles to communicate with one another and avoid collisions,” CCTA officials said. “This data will also guide the creation of more accessible travel options for the elderly and disabled.”
The pilot project is set to consist of automated vehicles in Rossmoor, accessible transit at the county hospital in Martinez, and “improved personal mobility on I-680 corridor.”
While Innovate 680 is aimed at benefiting those traveling throughout the county and region at large, it is also specifically aimed at contending with new challenges and projected population increases in growing communities along the corridor, including San Ramon.
DeSaulnier began his remarks by thanking his predecessor George Miller and Pelosi for putting him on the House Transportation Committee, as well as acknowledging Sunset Development Company founder Alex Mehran and highlighting the role of Bishop Ranch and its ongoing redevelopment in the corridor.
“Our mutual friend Alex Mehran – a wonderful visionary – his father started Bishop Ranch, his son is now implementing much of the new vision there, and is so much a part of this corridor,” DeSaulnier said.
However, Arnerich noted that as planned, the goal for a majority of new housing projects at Bishop Ranch was aimed at preventing long commutes and facilitating a “live-work” environment.
“What Bishop Ranch is doing is responding to the new paradigm which is post-COVID and as planners and as decision-makers, policy makers, we were trying to solve environmental congestion through commuting and things by getting people to live-work,” Arnerich said. “And what’s happening in Bishop Ranch, it’s right-sizing. There was an excess of office space, even in one of my companies, we don’t need the space we had before. And the wonderful part is we can now have – I have a young mom, she just had her third child, she gets to work at home, comes into the office once or twice – so our footprint is much smaller.”
“So the type of housing and the several thousand people that will be added into Bishop Ranch, it is the type of housing and the type of jobs to get people to live-work so that they don’t have to commute,” Arnerich continued. “Because one of our largest job centers in Contra Costa County is Bishop Ranch.”
Arnerich added that he and other transit officials, as well as city officials in San Ramon, were informed by studies projecting that a majority of new residents in San Ramon’s central core would be working where they live, thereby separately taking numerous drivers off the road and reducing congestion along the corridor as redevelopment projects unfold in Bishop Ranch, and as the city’s population increases.
“I think what you’re going to see, and what all the studies have proven and what we’re looking at from a transportation point of view, that the majority of those people will be living and working,” Arnerich said. “Their lives will be so much better. And again, from a policy point of view, we’ve been trying to do this for 30 years. So it’s kind of exciting to see what’s happening at Bishop Ranch.
Pelosi emphasized that the project is aimed at benefiting the entire Bay Area region, much of which is impacted by existing traffic congestion and challenges on the I-680 corridor, including those who live throughout the state and country – and that its capacity to do so is one reason it was prioritized for federal funding.
“When we go for money, it’s a competition for the money, so you want to make sure it is spent – soon,” Pelosi said. “Because there are other people who could be getting something, and they were ready. You’re ready. And again, as I said to you, when the money is allocated for a project of this magnitude, we want to see dirt fly – that is physical dirt flying. So congratulations to all of you for what you have done to make this so palatable, and again, a national model for the rest of the country to think regionally – and meeting local needs, and creating jobs, and improving quality of life.”
