Contacts:
Lee Saage, SFCTA (415) 522-4812 lee.saage@sfcta.org
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), together with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA), and the Federal Highway Administration, commenced construction on the I-80/Yerba Buena Island (YBI) Westbound Ramps Improvement Project. The first of two components to the larger YBI Interchange project, the Westbound Ramps Improvement Project will improve traffic mobility and safety in the area.
“The SFCTA has placed the highest priority on inter-agency partnerships in order to ensure that our projects are delivered in a timely fashion,” said SFCTA Board Chair John Avalos. “We are pleased that this project has closely coordinated with several entities and is on track to meet our scheduled completion of mid-2016.”
The Transportation Authority is coordinating closely with Caltrans and TIDA to deliver the project, which represents the first major infrastructure improvement for TIDA’s planned redevelopment of Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands.
The YBI Westbound Ramps Improvement Project is being funded by a robust package of federal, state, and local TIDA funds. “This $49 million project received nearly $9 million from Proposition 1B, a 2006 voter-approved transportation bond,” stated Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “To date, more than $17 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes.”
TIDA’s planned redevelopment of Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands calls for the development of 8,000 new homes – at least 25% of which are to be below market rate – as well as a K-8 school, several hundred thousand square feet of retail and office space, and a 275-acre park, among other new facilities. The redevelopment of the Island will eventually house approximately 20,000 new residents.
“The Yerba Buena Ramps Project will create a safer connection between the Islands and their neighbors in San Francisco,” said SFCTA Commissioner Jane Kim. “As the Supervisor for Treasure Island, I am excited to see the completion of the project, which will ensure safer circulation and enable the addition of much needed housing and jobs in the city.”
"The Yerba Buena Ramps Project is definitely our connection to the future,” added TIDA’s Board of Directors President Linda Fadeke Richardson. “It is an important milestone that will complement the years of community input we have integrated into the development of this important part of San Francisco."
About the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (www.sfcta.org)
Created in 1989, the SFCTA is responsible for long-range transportation planning for the city, and it analyzes, designs and funds improvements for San Francisco’s roadway and public transportation networks. The SFCTA administers and oversees the delivery of the Prop K half-cent local transportation sales tax program and the Prop AA $10 annual vehicle registration fee program, serves as the designated Congestion Management Agency (CMA) for San Francisco, under state law, and acts as the San Francisco Program Manager for grants from the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA). The SFCTA Board consists of the eleven members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who act as SFCTA Commissioners. Commissioner John Avalos is Chairman of the Board, and Tilly Chang is the SFCTA’s Executive Director.
About the California Department of Transportation (www.dot.ca.gov)
Caltrans manages more than 50,000 miles of California's highway and freeway lanes, provides inter-city rail services, permits more than 400 public-use airports and special-use hospital heliports, and works with local agencies. Caltrans carries out its mission of improving mobility across California with six primary programs: Aeronautics, Highway Transportation, Mass Transportation, Transportation Planning, Administration and the Equipment Service Center. The department has been active in moving the people and commerce of California for more than 100 years from a loosely connected web of footpaths and rutted wagon routes to the sophisticated system that today serves the transportation needs of more than 30 million residents.
Caltrans District 4 manages the nine Bay Area counties covering 7,600-lane miles of highway, with close to 3,600 employees, an annual budget of $550 million for salary and operating expenses, and a current construction program exceeding $4.1 billion.