News from Metropolitan Transportation Commission

In This Issue

Clipper as Last-Minute Gift

Bay Bridge 75th Birthday

Bay Bridge Film at Pier 39

Plan Bay Area Workshops

New 511 Online Traffic Site

Breakthrough at

Caldecott Tunnel

Federal Review of MTC Planning Process

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Put Clipper® on Your Last-Minute Shopping List

Here's a holiday idea that's "green" and can appeal to any local resident on your gift list: a Clipper® card. Give your friends and family the impetus to drive less, and ride transit more in 2012, with Clipper. You can put as much or as little starting value on the card as you like, from $2 to $300, and everything in between, or load it with a monthly pass. Accepted by AC Transit, BART, S.F. Muni, Golden Gate Transit buses and ferries, Caltrain, SamTrans and Santa Clara VTA along with the Dumbarton Express, the reloadable card can be obtained online at clippercard.com, at the transit kiosk at the Embarcadero BART/Muni station in San Francisco, the Bay Crossings store at the S.F. Ferry Building, Clipper ticket vending machines in S.F. Muni Metro stations, at select Walgreens stores and a number of other retail vendors (listed on the clippercard.com site).

Just as the holidays were approaching, MTC announced that there are now 1 million active Clipper cards in circulation, up 142 percent from the 413,616 active cards in circulation a year ago at this time. Read more about the millionth card milestone here.

Happy 75th Birthday, Bay Bridge!

Bay Bridge 75th logo

Elected officials, agency staff and the media gathered on Treasure Island in November to mark the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The bridge originally opened on November 12,1936, in the midst of the Great Depression -- an inspiring circumstance that several of the speakers noted. A highlight of the anniversary event was the unveiling of an outdoor interpretive exhibit showcasing the stunning new span that will replace the eastern half of the Bay Bridge. The public display is positioned on the south side of Treasure Island, directly across from the new East Span project.

Simultaneous with the anniversary event, Caltrans introduced a new interactive Web page at BayBridgeInfo.org/history with historical images and videos tracking the Bay Bridge over the last 75 years, as well as a Facebook page where locals can write their memories of the bridge: facebook.com/SFOBBMemories

Now Showing at Pier 39: "Inside the New San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge"

A new short film captures the excitement of the ongoing construction of the new Bay Bridge East Span. Titled "Inside the New Bay Bridge," the 15-minute piece by local video journalist Mark Jones takes viewers up the span's 525-foot tower and inside the bowels of the span's two key parts -- the Skyway and Self-Anchored Suspension Span -- along the way pointing out the engineering marvels involved in the erection of this iconic new landmark. Not only does the film take viewers into places they'll never get to see on their own, it's now showing free of charge at the newly refurbished theater at San Francisco's Aquarium of the Bay. This is just the first of a series of films produced by MTC's Bay Area Toll Authority and Caltrans for screening at the theater, which is located at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Plan your visit here.

Round 2 for Plan Bay Area Outreach

Plan Bay Area Logo

The interagency effort to map the Bay Area's future -- known as Plan Bay Area -- continues to march forward, with a second round of outreach meetings in each county scheduled for early 2012. MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments have prepared several scenarios for what the Bay Area could look like in 2040, and now we need the public's help in selecting desired features among the alternative planning choices. Meetings are filling up fast, and you must register to attend. Walk-ins at the meetings will be accommodated as space allows. Can't attend a workshop? Stay tuned for opportunities to participate online at OneBayArea.org. A new e-mail newsletter tracks plan developments; to sign up, go here.

Beta Is Better When It Comes to 511 Online Traffic Page

MTC in December unveiled a new and improved traffic page on the 511 traveler information site. Now available in beta at trafficbeta.511.org, the new page on 511.org features a new traffic map that shows much more detail than its predecessor. The interactive map allows users to plot their trip and calculate current speeds and driving times for the route, and to compare that calculation to typical driving times to determine whether they should take an alternate route or ride public transit instead. In addition to displaying live, current traffic conditions, the map can predict the time required for a future trip. The map also displays incidents, road closures, and construction activities and events that may disrupt traffic. 511 Traffic will personalize the user experience so that each time users return, their maps preferences and trips will be immediately available to them. The upgraded traffic page is the first of several 511 upgrades planned for the coming months.

Crew members pause to document the historic breakthrough at the

Caldecott Tunnel. Photo by Karl Nielsen.

Breakthrough: Seeing the Light at the End of the
Caldecott Tunnel

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel became a reality in late November when a giant road header chewed through the last few feet of rock blocking access between the east and west sides of the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore.

The excavation started in August 2010 in Orinda on the east side of the new bore; some seven months later, excavation started from the west side in Oakland. The project has been on the fast track, with crews working around the clock in a race to meet deep inside the 3,248-foot-long tunnel. The $391 million stimulus project is funded in part by Regional Measure 2 bridge toll funding distributed by MTC.

Federal Review of MTC's Role in Bay Area Transportation Planning Process

The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration are reviewing MTC's performance as the transportation planning agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. You are invited to attend the Public Listening Session sponsored by FHWA and FTA from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in the Dahms Auditorium at the Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland (across from the Lake Merritt BART station).

Can't attend the meeting? Send written comments by Jan. 31, 2012 to cert.review@dot.gov.