Transit

The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, has chosen 90 transportation projects throughout the state to award a collective $41.6 million in its annual planning grants for fiscal year 2023-24.

Bay Area ferries will require proof of payment when boarding instead of disembarking starting Aug. 10.

On July 27, BART’s Board of Directors voted 5-3 to oppose Assembly Bill 819, a state bill created by Assembly Majority Leader Isaac Bryan with the purpose of decriminalizing fare evaders.

AC Transit made a slate of changes to bus routes starting in August, including the extension of Line 7 and reduction of less traveled lines in Berkeley, it announced Thursday. 

The BART Board of Directors voted June 30 to support Senate Bill 532, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-District 11, which temporarily raises Bay Area bridge tolls by $1.50 from January 2024 to December 2028 in order to fund public transit. 

Berkeley Southside Complete Streets Project, a safety initiative to fulfill Berkley Vision Zero and improve traffic safety, has received funding approval from the city.

Bay Area residents should expect to see heightened police presence on Bay Area Rapid Transport, or BART, following a recent increase in officer salaries.

With $750 million worth of projects in construction this year, ACTC is working to achieve equitable transportation access with a focus on investing in communities that have historically been underinvested in and disproportionately impacted by higher levels of pedestrian deaths and air pollution.

The budget agreement reverses the Governor’s originally proposed $2 billion cut in state funding to transit capital projects, according to a press release from California Senator Scott Wiener’s office.

The city of Berkeley secured a $5.1 million fund from the Alameda County Transportation Commission, or ACTC, for the Berkeley Pier with Ferry Access Project last Thursday, according to a press release from Berkeley city Councilmember Rigel Robinson.