The East and South Bay are thriving – attracting new residents while seeing our business community expand. The cities in our community are at the nexus of a major transportation hub for the region and West Coast. From highway systems to public transportation like AC Transit and BART to bicycle and pedestrian paths, we rely on infrastructure and transportation investment to continue to grow and remain connected to the rest of the region.
Regional Measure 3 (RM3) provides transit solutions and improvements to keep our region and the Bay Area moving. RM3’s $4.45 billion investments are important in alleviating deficient, congested roads that cost drivers millions if not billions each year.
RM3 is a nine-county package of comprehensive congestion-relief efforts that will be on the June 5 ballot. This list of projects was developed after much diligence and discussion within the Legislature and between the nine county congestion management authorities. If approved by a combined majority of all voters in those nine counties, the projects would be financed by a $1 increase in tolls on the seven state-owned toll bridges in the Bay Area beginning January 1, 2019, followed by a $1 increase in January 2022 and a final $1 increase in January 2025. The Golden Gate Bridge is owned by a separate authority and would not be a part of the increase.
RM3 was developed to help solve the Bay Area’s growing congestion problems and provide residents with a better quality of life. By increasing tolls on the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges, RM3 will fund crucial traffic relief projects that are in a state of readiness and that will allow quick delivery in the short term.
RM3 will provide Tri-Valley Transit Access improvements providing interregional and last-mile transit connections on the Interstate 580 corridor, bus purchases and capital improvements to reduce travel times and increase service frequency in the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, Interstate 680/State Route 84 Interchange Reconstruction, and Dumbarton Bridge improvements, while upgrading Amtrak infrastructure, completing BART expansion to San Jose and Santa Clara, and developing faster bus routes/corridor improvements for AC Transit. These improvements will make our communities a better place to live, work, and do business.
Notably, more than 625 elected officials, labor organizations, and community stakeholders have joined me in endorsing. We have carefully reviewed the projects and know they are high-value investments that will net meaningful benefits and jobs.
With rapidly diminishing federal funding for transportation and infrastructure, as well as transportation funding from the state becoming more challenging, regional transportation funding initiatives are becoming even more imperative for the future of the Bay Area.
Voters will have the opportunity to contribute to the vitality of our community and the region by voting Yes on RM3 on June 5th. Transportation is the second most important issue to residents throughout the nine-county region. Join me in being an important part of the solution by voting yes on RM3 on June 5th and together we’ll keep our region moving forward.
Sen. Wieckowski is a member of the Transportation and Housing Committee in the Senate.
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