BART officials assured MTC commissioners they will successfully meet the remaining compliance issues the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) outlined in a letter sent on 15 of January. Those compliance issues deal with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which, in part, governs how transit agencies reach out to low-income, minority and limited English proficiency communities when making service and fare changes.

“We think the OAC is one of the best regional projects for the Bay Area,” BART Board President James Fang said.

According to BART, the OAC project does exactly what Congress asked of Stimulus funded projects - and that is it will create between 2,500 and 5,200 job opportunities for the area. It will also leave a legacy transit connection that will carry thousands of daily riders to the Oakland regional airport, on time and without pollution and traffic congestion. The project will also significantly enhance the airport’s national prestige as one of the few in the country with a coveted world-class, transit connection, which will allow the airport to attract the businesses that will help drive the East Bay’s future economic growth.

“Now business travelers think of SFO as the airport that serves San Francisco; soon Oakland will be seen as the airport that serves the rest of the Bay Area”, BART Board Member Joel Keller said.

The total cost of the project is $492 million – or $60 million less than the $552 million BART estimated in April 2009. A competitive bidding environment led to lower than projected costs, confirmed BART officials.

Sign in with a social network: