Executive Director Steve Heminger's Report to the Commission Meeting of September 25, 2013
TBPOC Meeting
Oakland, August 15
The Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee (TBPOC) met in public session for the first time in its history to approve opening the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Labor Day weekend. This action was made possible because the TBPOC also approved installation of temporary “shims” at the bearing locations on the east pier of the suspension span that will shoulder any seismic loads until the saddle retrofit of the shear keys is complete in December 2013.
Court Ruling against High Speed Rail
Sacramento, August 16
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny (formerly the chief executive of the Air Resources Board) ruled that the California High Speed Rail Authority failed to comply with several provisions of Proposition 1A, the 2008 bond measure that authorized $10 billion in state funding for the new system. Judge Kenny did not immediately impose a specific remedy for this alleged non-compliance, so it is unclear what affect his ruling will have on initial construction of the proposed system which is scheduled to commence shortly.
Bay Area Council Economic Institute
San Francisco, August 22
Ezra Rapport and I made presentations on Plan Bay Area to the Institute’s board of directors, on which we both sit.
Bay Area Bike Share Launch
San Francisco, August 29
Chair Worth and Commissioner Wiener joined numerous dignitaries including San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee at the ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the Bay Area Bike Share program sponsored by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and funded in large part by MTC. Further information about the program can be found on its website at www.bayareabikeshare.com.
New East Span Opens to Traffic
Oakland, September 2
After a hastily-arranged but nonetheless successfully-staged chain cutting ceremony, the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic around 10 pm on Labor Day. The bicycle/pedestrian path on the new facility opened to its own form of human-powered traffic about 12 hours later. Both have been hits with the public so far. The new east span opening also marks the achievement of seismic safety for all seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area following two decades of design and construction work during which time the Bay Area Toll Authority has played a pivotal role. We’re not quite done with the toll bridges, however, since the original east span must be demolished to make way for a new on-ramp from Yerba Buena Island and completion of the bicycle/pedestrian path as well. [More info]
Port of Oakland Briefing
Oakland, September 6
I met with the new executive director of the Port of Oakland, Chris Lytle, and his senior staff to get a briefing on the latest developments at the region’s premier goods movement facility.
Joint Policy Committee
Oakland, September 20
At its regular bi-monthly meeting, the JPC appointed a new senior staffer, Allison Brooks. Allison has been serving as CEO of the smart growth organization Reconnecting America. I look forward to working with Allison in her new role.
Map of the Month
From the 1930s until the last decade, there was a high correlation between miles driven and state GDP. The greater the number of miles driven the higher the state GDP. Starting in 2003, these two parameters began to diverge, due to a lack of growth in the amount of miles being driven. This map shows the relationship between total vehicle miles driven and GDP per state in 2011. According to the recent report "Distance Driven and Economic Activity in the Individual U.S. States: 1997-2011," done by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the District of Columbia had the highest GDP per distance driven ($30.04/mile), followed by Alaska ($11.16/mile), and New York ($9.16/mile). Among the lowest states were Mississippi ($2.51/mile), Alabama ($2.75/mile), and New Mexico ($3.12/mile).
MTC Operational Statistics
The monthly report on the performance of MTC’s operating programs: