Transportation 2035

Approved Financially Constrained Investment Plan

As part of its financial forecasts for the Transportation 2035 Plan, MTC projects that $223 billion in federal, state, regional and local revenues will reasonably be available to the region over the next 25 years. About $191 billion is committed by voter mandate, statute or Commission policy towards maintaining and operating our existing systems (roughly 85 percent). The remaining $32 billion is uncommitted discretionary revenues available for a wide range of investments in the areas of maintenance, system efficiency and expansion. Drawing from input from transportation agencies, stakeholders and the public, along with initial direction from the Commission, the Commission approved the Planning Committee's recommendation for how to spend this $32 billion in uncommitted discretionary revenues, as shown in this pie chart:

High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Network Implementation Principles

MTC, Bay Area Toll Authority, congestion management agencies (CMAs), Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol have been working over the past several months to establish a set of principles to guide the implementation of a Regional High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lane Network. The principles represent a commitment to pursue development of a Regional HOT Network through a collaborative and cooperative process. See more information about HOV (high-occupancy vehicle)//HOT lanes.

OBJECTIVES

Development and implementation of a Bay Area Express/High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Network has five primary objectives:

• More effectively manage the region’s freeways in order to provide higher vehicle and passenger throughput and reduce delays for those traveling within each travel corridor;
• Provide an efficient, effective, consistent, and seamless system for users of the network;
• Provide benefits to travelers within each corridor commensurate with the revenues collected in that corridor, including expanded travel options and funding to support non-highway options that enhance effectiveness and throughput;
• Implement the Express/HOT Lane Network in the Bay Area, as shown in Exhibit 1 and as amended from time to time, using a rapid delivery approach that takes advantage of the existing highway right of way to deliver the network in an expedited time frame; and
• Toll revenue collected from the HOT network will be used to operate the HOT network; to maintain HOT system equipment and software; to provide transit services and improvements in the corridors; to finance and construct the HOT network; and to provide other corridor improvements.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Collaboration and Cooperation
  To accomplish the objectives requires collaboration and cooperation by numerous agencies at several levels of government, including the Congestion Management Agencies (CMA), Caltrans, California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA). This collaborative process shall establish policies for implementation of the HOT network including, but not limited to, (a) phasing of HOV conversion and HOT construction, (b) phasing of corridor investment plan elements, and (c) occupancy and pricing policies for HOT network operations.
• Corridor-Based Focus & Implementation
  Utilize a corridor-based structure that recognizes commute-sheds and geographic communities of interest as the most effective and user-responsive models for Bay Area Express/HOT Lane facilities implementation.
• Reinvestment within the Corridor
  Recognize that popular, political and legislative support will rest on demonstrating that the revenues collected in a corridor benefit travelers – including the toll payers – in the corridor through a variety of mechanisms, including additional capital improvements on the freeway and parallel arterials, providing support for transit capital and operations that increase throughput capacity in the corridor, and providing funds for enhanced operations and management of the corridor.
• Corridor Investment Plans
  Corridor Investment Plans, developed by stakeholder agencies within the corridor, will direct reinvestment of revenues to capital and operating programs serving the corridor, commensurate with the revenue generated by each corridor.
• Simple System
  Users deserve a simple, consistent and efficient system that is easy to use and includes the following elements: (a) consistent geometric design; (b) consistent signage; (c) safe and simple operations; (d) common technology; and(e) common marketing, logo and terminology.
• Toll Collection
  BATA shall be responsible for toll collection.
• Financing
  A collaborative process will determine the best financing mechanism, which could include using the state owned toll bridge enterprise as a financing pledge to construct the network.

See detailed staff reports and presentation materials on the financially constrained investment plan and HOT Network Implementation Principles at the July 11, 2008, Planning Committee meeting, and at the full Commission meeting on July 23, 2008.

Main Transportation 2035 page