| ASSEMBLYMEMBER NOREEN EVANS 7TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 1, 2007 CONTACT: Anthony Matthews PHONE: (916) 319-2007 |
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| Evans Leads Bay Area Legislators To Support North Bay Transportation Projects | ||
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(SACRAMENTO, CA) Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, authored a letter signed by Bay Area members of the State Assembly to fight for state funding for 18 highway transportation projects geared to relieve traffic congestion throughout the Bay, 7 of which are in the North Bay region. “Traffic is an enormous problem in the North Bay,” says Evans. “The biggest increases in traffic delays are hitting us. We need to get our fair share of transportation funds. I’m pleased the entire Bay Area Caucus supports this.” The letter enclosed below was sent to the California Transportation Commission (CTC). It will meet on February 28th to decide which congestion relief transportation projects will be funded through “corridor mobility” provisions of Proposition 1B, the $19.9 billion transportation bond passed by the voters last November. Bay Area county transportation districts submitted a single project request totaling just over $2 billion for 18 projects, through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The key transportation corridors in the North Bay on this project list include Interstate 80, Highway 101, and State Route 12. A map of the pending Bay Area projects can be seen at http://www.mtc.ca.gov/funding/infrastructure/Prop_1B_projects_map.pdf. Proposition 1B devotes $4.5 billion to “corridor mobility” to relieve traffic congestion. Of these funds, $1.8 billion is marked for Northern California. According to the MTC, approximately 85 percent of northern California’s traffic congestion occurs on Bay Area freeways. # January 31, 2007 The Honorable Marian Bergeson In Re: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission Project List Dear Chairwoman Bergeson and Members of the Commission: We urge your support for the Corridor Mobility Improvement Account (CMIA) project funding request submitted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). This list of transportation projects, as ratified and sent to the CTC on January 10th, responds to many of the transportation needs of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area has grown rapidly and continues to do so at lightening speed. The vast and diverse peoples within our communities contribute to the Bay’s role as a center for culture and commerce in California. This has fueled a substantial increase in the use of our freeways by residents, commuters, businesses, and visitors. As members of the CTC, you have the ability to help relieve the congestion pressures within our communities and enhance the potential of the Bay Area to foster a dynamic environment where people and businesses gather in California. The need for improvements to the Bay Area’s highway system is significant. In crafting its list now before you, the MTC reviewed over $4 billion in project requests according to many criteria – such as ready to go status, regional and long range plan inclusion, completeness of funding plans, current traffic congestion, trade corridors, and safety. This rigorous attention to detail makes the MTC’s $2 billion project proposal deserving of serious consideration. These vetted and viable projects make for extremely competitive investments of scarce state transportation funds. Thank you for your consideration of our views. If you have any questions, or if we can provide any further information, please contact us. Yours Very Truly, Noreen Evans Ira Ruskin Jared Huffman Mark DeSaulnier Fiona Ma Mark Leno Loni Hancock Sandré Swanson Mary Hayashi Gene Mullin Alberto Torrico Sally Lieber Joe Coto Jim Beall |
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