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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 12091997 - C81 At o - =F Contra TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS . e•�� - ; Costa 9�OSTq COU FROM: OFFICE OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR County DATE: DECEMBER 9, 1997 SUBJECT: LETTER TO MTC REQUESTING RECONSIDERATION ON EXPANDING HOURS OF OPERATION OF THE 1-80 HOV LANES SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS Authorize the Chair of the Board of.Supervisors to sign and transmit to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) the attached letter requesting their reconsideration of expanding the hours of operation for the 1-80 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes (see Exhibit "A"). FISCAL IMPACT None. BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS At the Board of Supervisors meeting on December 2, 1997, representatives from the California Highway Patrol made a presentation on the opening of the westbound portion of the 1-80 High Occupancy Vehicle lane between State Route 4 and the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge, and the pending expansion of the hours of operation for the 1-80 HOV lanes. Board members expressed concern about how the expanded hours of operation for the 1-80 HOV lanes, negotiated and approved by MTC, would confuse motorists and create enforcement problems for the California Highway Patrol. The Board agreed to send a letter to MTC Commissioners expressing these concerns and requesting MTC to reconsider expanding the 1-80 HOV Lanes hours of operation and retain the current hours of operation during the peak commute periods, 5:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 P.m. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: x YES SIGNATURE X RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE (S): ACTION OF BOARD ON 1,R - o,7 - 19197 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT V ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: Patrick Roche, CDD (510/335-1242) ATTESTED 9 j?97 cc: Community Development Department (CDD) PHIL BATCHELOR, CLE OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY , DEPUTY CAO/P R/j:proch/wcdac/boi80hov TheBoardof Supervisors Contra ��'�� County Administration BuildingCosta Co(5 0)awl Adrrvinistm 651 Pine Street, Room 106 Martinez,California 94553-1293 County Jim Ropers,I at District s e L d/y10 B.Memo,2nd District .-- e=-__�•.. Donna Garber,3rd District _-- Mark DeSaulnler,4th District Joe Canclemills,5th District • December 9 1997 Sr9 COUKT Chair James P. Spering Metropolitan Transportation Commission Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter 101 Eighth Street Oakland, CA 94607-4700 Subject: Reconsider Expanding Hours of Operation for the I-80 HOV Lanes Dear Chug: As you are aware, Caltrans will be opening the westbound portion of the I-80 High Occupancy Vehicle(HOV)lane between State Route 4 and the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge (SFOBB) in the very near future. In a December 2, 1997 presentation to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors by the California Highway Patrol, we learned that there will be a significant change in the hours of operation of the I-80 HOV lanes with the opening of the westbound portion due to Project Assurances negotiated and adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. We are concerned that the expanded hours of operation for the I-80 HOV Lanes could generate considerable negative reaction from the motoring public. That is because, unlike other HOV facilities in the Bay Area which operate during peak congestion periods(including the HOV booth at the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza),the hours of operation for the 1-80 HOV Lanes have been expanded to run from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. This means that the new lanes will be restricted to vehicles carrying 3 or more occupants over a 15 hour period. The expanded hours will require increased enforcement by the California Highway Patrol and new highway signage to direct motorists. Driving in the vicinity of the SFOBB is already a trying and difficult experience for many motorists, and we anticipate that many motorists will be further confused over new enforcement of HOV hours of operation and new highway signage for the HOV lanes. A negative public reaction could be further exacerbated if there is limited use of the HOV lanes during non-peak hours(between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.). Consequently, our constituents will be directing their concerns to us as to why more than $300 million was spent to build HOV lanes on I-80 that unlike others in the Bay Area cannot be used by all motorists during non-peak periods due to the expanded hours of operation. Ltr.,to Chair James P. Spering on I-80 HOV Lanes Hours of Operation 12/9/97 Page 2 The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors has reservations with expanding the I-80 HOV Lanes hours of operation based on the Project Assurances negotiated in 1992. We urge MTC and Caltrans to seriously evaluate the effectiveness and utilization of the expanded hours of operation for the I-80 HOV lanes during the 18 month demonstration period as provided in the negotiated Project Assurance. This project evaluation should include consultation with the public and local officials in the I-80 corridor. We further suggest that MTC, acting in its new role as the Bay Area Toll Authority (SB 226), give serious consideration to matching the hours of operation of the Bay Bridge toll booths dedicated for HOVs with the expanded hours of operation for the I-80 HOV lanes. MTC should conduct an analysis to determine potential operational and revenue impacts that might result from extending the free toll for HOVs on the Bay Bridge during the period of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in anticipation of public criticism over the inconsistent hours of operation between the two facilities. Sincerely yours, VAO--V--- Mark De Saulnier, Chair Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors cc: John Marquez, Chair, CCTA Lloyd Wagstaff, Chair, WCCTAC MD:pr j:proch\wcctac\i8ohov2