BART to Livermore and the I-580 Corridor Plan

The Tri-Valley segment of I-580 in Alameda County is one of the most congested traffic corridors in the Bay Area.  It serves as a major gateway between the Bay Area and the Central Valley.  It also serves as an essential route for goods movement from the Port of Oakland, the 4^th busiest port in the U.S., to the rest of the state and nation. 

The Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA) has developed a comprehensive

I-580 Tri-Valley Corridor Improvement Plan, which includes the orderly staging of congestion relief projects. This includes construction of new High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and clearance for sufficient right-of-way east of the existing Dublin/Pleasanton BART station to allow for BART or other transit in the median between eastbound and westbound traffic.

The existing median provides sufficient width to accommodate HOV lanes, but must be widened to accommodate BART or other transit.  The early stages of improvements include construction of HOV lanes using the I-580 median which will help provide congestion relief in the near-term.  Clearance for the necessary right-of-way for BART or other transit will begin while HOV lanes are under construction. This approach offers congestion relief in the corridor, and prepares for BART or other transit, while funding challenges for the transit project are resolved. 

The median today

• 42 feet wide for roadway shoulders and planting.

What is needed on I-580 for a BART extension

• A new, 60-foot right-of-way to accommodate BART/transit guideway, roadbed, train controls, and fencing in the median.
• New paving and re-striping to shift all lanes outward with BART or other transit in the median.

Steps required to make way for future transit

• Environmental clearance process
• Land acquisition
  • Zoning amendments by cities of public lands for right-of-way.
  • Direct purchase of privately held lands for right-of-way.
  • Additional land for stations, storage, and other needs at the end-of-line
• Overpass and bridge improvements on I-580 to accommodate wider median/roadway.
• BART decision-making and funding for extension.

HOV lanes and BART – the timing

• 2007 – Begin construction of HOV lanes in existing median (no additional land needed).
• 2007 -  Begin environmental clearance process for transit right-of-way protection.
• 2008 – Begin zoning amendments and purchase negotiations for transit right-of-way.

Cooperative planning

• ACCMA’s I-580 Tri-Valley Corridor Improvement Phasing Plan includes preservation of a transit right-of-way.
• To minimize throwaway costs in anticipation of shifting the roadway outward after the right-of-way for BART/transit is acquired, HOV lanes will be built with pavement designed for 20 years of service, rather than to a costlier 40-year standard.
• There will be direct access from the I-580 HOV lanes to the existing Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.