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Omnitrans and SANBAG Celebrate Opening of San Bernardino Transit Center
On Monday, August 24, SANBAG and Omnitrans had the privilege of joining Congressman Pete Aguilar, FTA Region 9 Administrator Leslie Rogers, California Transportation Commissioner Fran Inman, and many other dignitaries, community members and agency representatives to celebrate the completion of the San Bernardino Transit Center.
Touted as a tangible sign of transformation for both public transit and downtown, the Omnitrans multimodal hub is expected to serve 6,000 customers daily. The $25 million facility connects 10 local and two freeway express Omnitrans bus routes, the sbX bus rapid transit line, and bus routes operated by neighboring Victor Valley Transit Authority and Mountain Transit. In 2017, Metrolink commuter rail service will be extended to the new transit center, with Redlands Passenger Rail service expected to arrive a few years later.
The San Bernardino Transit Center will open for service on Tuesday, September 8, 2015.
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Assembly Member Jim Frazier Visits San Bernardino County
 On Tuesday, August 11th, Assembly Member Jim Frazier (D-Oakley), Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee visited Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. SANBAG enjoyed the unique opportunity to share the transportation needs of our County with Mr. Frazier and highlight some of the projects in the region. Partnering with Caltrans District 8, a tour of the Devore Interchange project was provided to showcase the use of design/build on a major goods movement project for the region. Brief visits of interchange projects on I-10 and I-15, as well as the highly acclaimed Colton Crossing project, were also included. Following the tour, members of the SANBAG General Policy Committee were invited to join Mr. Frazier for a briefing on SANBAG's major highway, transit, and rail projects. Omnitrans Executive Director Scott Graham also shared information about their major projects and programs. Mr. Frazier shared his desire to bring new resources to transportation and his strong advocacy for local control. As a former member of the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority and a general contractor by trade, he understands both business and local government needs in transportation. He has been a strong partner in transportation and SANBAG looks forward to continuing to work with him on goods movement, project delivery, and future funding issues.
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Mobility 21 Summit Draws Big Crowd to Talk Transportation in Southern California
 More than 1,000 transportation, business, and elected leaders convened last Friday for the 2015 Mobility 21 Summit. Sessions were focused on discussing strategies for a more competitive California by reducing congestion, improving safety, and planning for our future. SANBAG President Ryan McEachron was joined by other regional transportation leaders for the Chairman's Roundtable discussion about how to keep the politics out of mobility. During this panel, the respective Chairs elaborated on how they prioritize amongst the competing issues while achieving mobility and balance. SANBAG Executive Director Ray Wolfe joined Caltrans, OCTA, VCTC, and LA Metro to talk about how to balance local measure goals and funding with new and emerging state legislation and policies. Dr. Wolfe also had the honor or presenting the Tribute Award, in memoriam, to Larry Sharp, a strong transportation advocate and longtime resident of San Bernardino County. Larry's daughter, Darcy Cloutier-Fernald, was present to accept the award on his behalf. The Mobility 21 Southern California Transportation Summit is the largest one-day transportation event in the State.
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Countywide Vision Highlights Education with the Vision2Read Initiative
The SANBAG Board received a  presentation about the Vision2Read Initiative from San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, Ted Alejandre, and California State University San Bernardino Provost, Dr. Juan Delgado.
Studies have shown that the ability to read at a third-grade level by third grade is a key indicator of future educational and career success. Here in San Bernardino County, more than 60% of third graders are not proficient in reading. To address this challenge, the Vision2Read Initiative was conceived to provide members of the community with an opportunity to help achieve the Countywide Vision Cradle to Career Regional Goal that was adopted by the SANBAG Board of Directors and County Board of Supervisors on May 2, 2012.
Vision2Read is being designed to:
- Educate the community about the benefits of reading
- Recognize and support existing literacy programs and efforts Countywide
- Connect people to literacy programs whether they need help or are able to help
On Saturday, September 19, 2015, the Vision2Read initiative will be launched to the public at the County Superintendent of Schools' annual Family Reading Rally at California State University San Bernardino College of Education.
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Needles Area Transit Officially Opens New Location in Intermodal Facility
 Up until June of this year, the City of Needles housed their Needles Area Transit (NAT) office and vehicles behind the Oil, Lube and Latte. This area provided little protection for the vehicles and has limited office space for staff. As a result, the City staff decided the recently rehabilitated El Garces Intermodal Transit Facility and construction of an adjacent garage would be much more suitable accommodations. The completed project includes a larger office space, crew room, storage area, unisex restroom, and fire protection system. This is the first Agency/Business to be housed in the Intermodal Transit Facility. The adjacent garage is a 1,500 square foot pre-engineered metal building located approximately 330 feet from the new office.
The City obtained $75,000 from the Proposition 1B Transit Security Grant Program and was allocated $300,000 in State Transportation Assistance funds by the SANBAG Board of Directors.
The Grand opening was on August 11th however NAT was able to start service using the facility in early part of June.
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San Bernardino Regional Energy Partnership
 After unanimous approval by the Board, SANBAG, in partnership with SCE and SoCal Gas, will implement the San Bernardino Regional Energy Partnership with the cities of Big Bear Lake, Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Twentynine Palms, Upland, Yucaipa, and the Town of Yucca Valley. To become a partner city in the San Bernardino Regional Energy Partnership, each city will be required to pass a resolution between SANBAG, SCE, and SoCal Gas, declaring support for the San Bernardino Regional Energy Partnership, its goals, and commit to identifying energy efficiency solutions within their facilities and community. As part of the resolution, cities will identify an "Energy Champion" who will work in collaboration with SANBAG, SCE, and SoCalGas to execute energy efficiency strategies and participate in informational workshops. Similar partnerships have been implemented by neighboring Councils of Governments, including Western Riverside, Coachella Valley, San Gabriel, and South Bay. All have achieved abundant energy savings amongst their participating cities with additional benefits to their communities.
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Barstow Celebrates Opening of Lenwood Road Grade Separation Project
 SANBAG, the City of Barstow, and the County of San Bernardino gathered in Barstow on August 21st among hundreds of residents, business operators, and local officials to celebrate the opening of the new bridge at Lenwood Road and Main Street. This approximately $31 million project designed to separate the at-grade crossing of Lenwood Road from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway tracks is scheduled to open to traffic by the middle of next week.
"Enhancing safety, improving circulation, and expediting emergency response times in this growing area of Barstow are just a few of the benefits we will realize with the completion of this project," SANBAG President Ryan McEachron said. McEachron was joined on the podium by Barstow Mayor Julie McIntyre and San Bernardino County Supervisors James Ramos and Robert Lovingood. The celebration was held on top of the new bridge and commemorated with a ribbon-cutting and ceremonial first drive.
Ultimately, the improvements from this project include the widening of Lenwood Road between Main Street and Jasper Road. These enhancements will match the City of Barstow's General Plan and will accommodate future projected traffic demands. Lenwood Road currently carries approximately 4,200 vehicles per day, including a high percentage of heavy trucks serving commercial, light industrial, and residential developments. The primary objective of this project is to improve operation and safety by ensuring prompt emergency response time to businesses and residents, while eliminating the hazards and inefficiencies of trains passing through the flow of vehicular traffic. As a result, impacts to air quality are reduced by eliminating the volume of idling vehicles.
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SANBAG Seeks Proposals for Next Phases of State Route 210 Widening Project
On Wednesday, September 2nd, the Board approved the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) related to the Design, Right of Way Engineering Services and Design Support related to the SR-210 Lane Addition and Base Line Interchange Projects.
The SR-210 Base Line Interchange Project is the second highest priority in the Measure I 2010-2040 Freeway Interchange Program and lies within the limits of the SR-210 Lane Addition Project. Since both the Lane Addition and Interchange Projects align geographically and share similar delivery schedules, it makes sense that they be combined for the design, right of way, and construction phases to save both time and money.
Both the SR-210 Lane Addition and SR-210 Base Line Interchange Projects are anticipating the completion of the Environmental Phase early next year.
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Alan Wapner and Ed Graham Appointed to Valley Transportation Services Board
At the September Board Meeting, the SANBAG Board of Directors appointed Ontario Council Member Alan Wapner and Chino Hills Mayor Pro Tem Ed Graham to represent SANBAG on the Valley Transportation Services (VTrans) Board of Directors.
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HERO by the numbers
11,654 approved projects
9,552 completed projects
$173,878,267 value of completed projects
68.9 million KWh saved annually
18,895 tons of GHGs reduced annually
16.5 million gallons of water saved annually
HERO investments stimulate direct economic opportunity in
San Bernardino County.
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