In This Issue
2013: Our Year in Review
$10 Billion Dedicated to Transportation and Climate Projects
Excellence in Motion Awards
Left Coast Lifter Leaves the Coast
Bike Share Picks Up Speed
Plan Bay Area Available
Farewell to Old Fares
Behind the Scenes With "The Bridge Builders"
MTC Summer High School Internships
511 Rings in the New Year
New on Video
Stay in the Know
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The past and the future intersect in a sunset shot of the old and new Bay Bridges, on the cusp of the Labor Day opening of the new East Span. Photo by Karl Nielsen.

At MTC, 2013 was a busy and productive year. We celebrated the grand opening of the Bay Bridge East Span and unveiled the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore. We inaugurated Bay Area Bike Share and adopted Plan Bay Area. Through it all, our talented photographers were climbing catwalks and braving the fog to capture these major milestones and achievements. This colorful digital compilation reviews our eventful year through some of their stunning snapshots. In fact, our entire annual report is paperless for the first time, including our "Year in Numbers," which features the agency's complete audited financial statements, the financial highlights from 2013 and our funding allocations. Take a look back with us -- and send your own transportation pictures to @MTCBATA on Twitter or Instagram. We'll post the best to our social media feeds.  View the whole "Year in Review" package here.

 

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$10 Billion Dedicated to Transportation and Climate Projects

MTC adopted two funding programs in December, dedicating nearly $10 billion to climate initiatives and improvements to transit networks and low-income housing. The programs address the goals laid out in Plan Bay Area, the long-range regional sustainability strategy that seeks to reduce transportation-related emissions by 18 percent before 2040. The first program allocates the Bay Area's anticipated $3.2 billion share of State Cap and Trade revenue over the next several decades, distributing it among transportation, housing and climate initiatives. The Core Capacity Challenge Grant program dedicates $7.5 billion over 15 years to capital improvements for the region's largest transit systems. A detailed breakdown of the funding programs and PDFs of the resolutions are available here.

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     Do you have a favorite bus driver? Is there an organization in your community that encourages alternative transit? Each year MTC recognizes exceptional individuals and groups that have improved transportation and climate consciousness in the nine-county Bay Area. Winners in the last cycle of the biennial "Excellence in Motion" awards program included Ed Roberts Campus, Berkeley's disability rights center; the creator of a vanpool service who was known to decorate his vehicles in holiday lights and celebrate his customers' birthdays; and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's lively and beloved Sunday Streets initiative. Submit your nomination by March 31 online or request a paper nomination form at (510) 817-5757 or [email protected].

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Real511Left Coast Lifter Leaves the Coast 
 
The Left Coast Lifter leaves the left coast.
Photo: Barrie Rokeach
With the heavy lifting on the new Bay Bridge East Span now complete, the Left Coast Lifter has left the West Coast. The massive crane barge is ready for its next project: the replacement of New York's Hudson River Tappan Zee Bridge. The 400-by-100-by-130-foot contraption was built in Portland and China, and specially designed to handle the new East Span's hefty steel deck pieces. Oakland's Pier 7 said farewell to its resident Lifter on Sunday, December 22, when the barge-mounted crane started its month-long journey to the East Coast via the Panama Canal. It was rechristened "I Lift New York" in time for its arrival in New York Harbor at the end of January. 

 

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parkingBike Share Picks Up Speed     

Bay Area Bike Share
The five-month-old Bay Area Bike Share is on a roll, with more than 80,000 rides under its belt. The August 29, 2013, launch placed 700 mint-colored bicycles in San Francisco, San Jose and in three other cities along the Caltrain corridor, and the system is gearing up for expansion later this year. The nation's first regional bike-sharing network has over 3,200 annual members and over 10,000 casual users. Bay Area Bike Share is a project of MTC's Climate Initiatives Grant Program. For membership details, head here. More info here.

 

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parkingPlan Bay Area Available  

   

The final version of Plan Bay Area is available as a digital document, and as a print  publication -- in limited quantities. The 150-page document is packed with colorful graphs and maps that illustrate the strategy for regional sustainability. Pick one up in person at the MTC Library at 101 Eighth Street in Oakland, or order a copy online.  

 

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parkingFarewell to Old Fares 

   

New year, new transit fares. Fare increases went into effect for BART and other agencies January 1. Clipper Card users can find information on these increases and other 2014 policy changes here or at clippercard.com.


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Photo by Joe Blum.

Welder-cum-photographer Joe Blum has been documenting the construction of the new East Span of the Bay Bridge since its inception. His latest show, "The Bridge Builders," trains the lens on the men and women behind the bridge and gives the viewer a taste of their perspective -- often hundreds of feet up above the open water. After a stint at San Francisco City Hall, the 80-plus color photographs are now on view at MTC.    

 

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A 2013 MTC intern presents her summer project. Photo by Kearey Smith.

Do you know a high school student itching to explore career opportunities in the transportation field? The Metropolitan Transportation Commission's summer high school internship program gives students in the nine-county Bay Area a unique opportunity to do just that. Students are placed at public transit agencies, public works departments and the like, and work closely with mentors at the organization for 10 weeks. Students leave their internships with professional and leadership skills, and a strong understanding of transportation agencies' impact in their communities. Interns are paid a competitive hourly wage. Apply by Friday, February 28.   

 

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parking511 Rings in the New Year 

The nifty and free 511 Trip Planner tool is a trusted friend that helps plot out 650,000 Bay Area public transit journeys each month. The new Enhanced Trip Planner does that and more. The updated tool gives travelers side-by-side comparisons of transit and driving options. It compares routes, time and cost, and includes a carbon calculator to show the trips' environmental impact.  

 

That's not all 511 has in store for the start of 2014. Clean commuters are eligible for a special promotion. Users who track their clean commutes -- via carpool, vanpool, bike, foot or transit -- in January and February may win tickets to San Francisco's Walt Disney Museum.  


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  • The Bay Area is getting a new kind of cable car. The Oakland Airport Connector vehicles -- which will begin shuttling travelers between Oakland Coliseum BART and the Oakland International Airport by Thanksgiving 2014 -- took their first test run in January. See the photo gallery.  
  • Crews have completed the permanent steel saddle fix to the broken bolts on the new Bay Bridge East Span. Videojournalist Mark Jones takes us behind the scenes.  

  • Our friends at the Bay Bridge public information office swung by MTC in December to teach a group of curious preschool students the ins and outs of the new East Span. The kids were born years after the Loma Prieta earthquake rattled the Bay Area and the Bay Bridge, but they can still do a mean reenactment of the swaying structure.  

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parkingStay In-The-Know

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For the latest updates on all things MTC, and chances to win prizes, like us on Facebook and follow @MTCBATA on Twitter and our brand-new Instagram feed. 

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