Want a Better Commute? Vote “Yes” on Regional Measure 3 on the June Ballot

Transportation improvements have been a core priority for NBLC members and their employees since our founding 28 years ago.  One project has been at the top of the list all that time:  widening the Marin/Sonoma Narrows.  The North Bay has a regional workforce and many of our employees are stuck on Highway 101 for way too long every day.

There is now, finally some light at the end of that 28-year wait.  A major portion of the Narrows project, the bridge over San Antonio Creek, has been completed and is ready to open to traffic.  While widened to accommodate the eventual three lanes of traffic in each direction, there will be only two lanes opened at this time.  Also completed is the curve correction near the county line that feeds southbound into the new bridge.  Work will then move to raising the northbound side of 101 with the third lanes being added near the end of the project.

The money for this work is coming from the big transportation package passed by the state legislature last year, SB 1.  But to complete the widening of the Narrows from the county line to Atherton requires more funding.  The source of that funding is in the voters’ hands in the form of passing Regional Measure 3, which will raise the bridge tolls on the state-owned bridges in the nine Bay Area counties (but not on the non-state-owned Golden Gate Bridge).

If you want to see the Narrows finally widened, after decades of trying, please vote “Yes” on Regional Measure 3.  Your “Yes” vote will also fund these local projects, including providing $100 million to work on fixing Highway 37 which is congested and at risk of being underwater due to rising sea levels.

Regional Measure 3 will fund:

Regional projects:

• Reduce truck traffic congestion and improve air and water quality
• Improve transbay bus service and carpool access to improve commute times across bridges
• Improve bike/pedestrian access to train stations
• Purchase new BART cars to run more frequent trains and reduce crowding
• Extend BART to San Jose/Silicon Valley
• Design a second transbay crossing – providing additional capacity for BART and rail services
• Build new ferry terminals, upgrade ferry facilities, and buy more boats
• Transition to the next generation of the Clipper transit card to support a universal, seamless public transit fare payment system

Sonoma projects:

1. Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit District (SMART): Extend SMART rail system north to Windsor and Healdsburg
2. Marin-Sonoma Narrows: Widen U.S. 101 to three lanes in each direction
3. State Route 37 Improvements: Improve Highway 37 from U.S. 101 to Interstate 80 to address congestion and flooding
4. North Bay Transit Access Improvements: Buy additional commuter buses and improve bus stops, transit facilities and roads

Marin projects:

1. Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit District (SMART): Extend SMART rail system north to Windsor and Healdsburg
2. Marin-Sonoma Narrows: Widen the U.S. 101 to three lanes in each direction
3. State Route 37 Improvements: Improve Highway 37 from U.S. 101 to Interstate 80 to address congestion and flooding
4. San Rafael Transit Center: Extend SMART and construct a replacement for the aging, outdated Bettini Transit Center
5. Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Access (Marin Approach): Add a direct freeway connection from U.S. 101 to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
6. North Bay Transit Access Improvements: Buy additional commuter buses and improve bus stops, transit facilities and roads

Napa projects:

1. State Route 29 Improvements: Enhance intersections and improve safety on State Route 29
2. North Bay Transit Access Improvements: Buy additional commuter buses and improve bus stops, transit facilities and roads
3. State Route 37 Improvements: Improve Highway 37 from U.S. 101 to Interstate 80 to address congestion and flooding
4. Interstate 80/Interstate 680/State Route 12 Red Top Road Interchange Project: Construct a Red Top Road interchange and westbound Interstate 80 to southbound Interstate 680 connector to reduce congestion on Jameson Canyon Road and between Napa and Solano counties

Regional-Measure-3 mandates strong taxpayer safeguards, including independent audits, citizen oversight and a Transportation Inspector General to hold elected leaders accountable for spending.  We need a comprehensive, long-term solution to reduce traffic, improve travel times and bring our public transportation into the 21st century. Please vote “Yes” on Regional-Measure-3.