Transportation Authority Nominates $52 Million in One Bay Area Grant Funding for Safety Improvements, New Infrastructure, Transit Improvements, and More

On September 27, in anticipation of One Bay Area Grant funding, the Transportation Authority Board nominated multiple projects including BART/Muni elevator modernizations and next generation fare gates at eight San Francisco BART stations,  multimodal corridor improvements in the Bayview and a seismic retrofit on Treasure Island bridges, to name a few. 

Cycle 3 of the OBAG program is from federal funding overseen by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The Board nominated seven applications received from four different agencies for a total of more than $52 million in OBAG 3 funds. As the Congestion Management Agency for San Francisco, the Transportation Authority is responsible for identifying San Francisco’s OBAG 3 county priorities and submitting them to the MTC, which will select projects from a region-wide candidate pool. 
 
The recommended projects include:

• Bayview Community Multimodal Corridor ($5 million) - A community-based planning process identified the need for a multimodal alternative to 3rd Street. The project brings direct safety and accessibility benefits to an Equity Priority Community.
• Central Embarcadero Safety Project ($6.32 million) - Outreach identified this project as the top priority for the Embarcadero Enhancement Program. Environmental review and design are underway and the recommended award would complete the project's funding plan. 
• West Side Bridges Seismic Retrofit ($10 million) - Reconstructing eight bridges and structures connecting the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island, this project would ensure seismic safety of the roadway and incorporate bicycle and bus facilities. An OBAG award would leverage significant federal, state, and regional funds and complete the project's funding plan. 
• 29 Sunset Improvement Project Phase 1 ($5.976 million) - This project would improve transit reliability, pedestrian safety and access to many schools and parks including Golden Gate Park, McLaren Park and the Presidio. It supports geographic equity spanning Districts 1, 2, 4 and 7. Requested funds would complete the project's funding plan.
• BART/Muni elevator modernization at five BART stations, including Embarcadero, Montgomery St, Powell St, Civic Center/UN Plaza, and Glen Park ($13.3 million) - This project has received support from the disability community, improves accessibility to BART and Muni and is essential to ensuring equitable access to San Francisco BART stations for riders with mobility challenges, cyclists, families with strollers, and people with luggage. Recommended OBAG funding is for the construction phase. 
• Elevator Modernization Design for 16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, and Balboa Park Stations (4.945 million) - This project has received support from the disability community and improves accessibility to BART and Muni. The goal of the project would be to increase accessibility, reduce elevator service interruptions, improve elevator maintainability, and enhance the customer experience. 
• Yerba Buena Island Multi-Use Pathway ($3 million) - This project is part of the Bay Skyway Phase 1 project continuing the bicycle/pedestrian path from atop Yerba Buena Island and Vista Point to the ferry landing at Treasure Island. The environmental phase is underway and the recommended OBAG amount fully funds project design. 
• Next Generation Fare Gates at five San Francisco stations, including Powell St, Civic Center/UN Plaza, 16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, and Balboa Park - ($4.314 million) - This project will replace BART’s existing fare gates, which are approaching the end of their useful life, with new, accessible, swing-style fare gates at five San Francisco station, making them more reliable, and easier to maintain. 

The funding recommendations need final action by MTC, where a review committee will complete a regional project evaluation process and develop a recommended subset of projects for adoption by the MTC Commission. The MTC Commission is planning to consider the recommended OBAG 3 projects in January 2023.