In this edition
- Two New Board Alternates join STA
- STA Board Approves Connected Mobility Implementation Plan
- I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange Package 2A Under Construction
- BART & Capitol Corridor Introduce a New Transbay Rail Crossing Project, Link21
- STA Submits Two Projects for MTC’s OBAG 2 Supplemental Funding
- SolanoExpress Continues to Provide Service for Essential Workers/Trips - 2nd Quarter Report
- Healthy Transit Outreach Campaign
- First/Last Mile Program and MicroTransit Provide New Mobility Options
- Nominations Open for Solano County’s Bike Champion of the Year
- Solano Mobility Launches New Bucks For Bikes Program mid-March
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STATUS Newsletter
The STATUS Newsletter is published every month after the STA Board meeting to inform the public and our stakeholders of what’s happening with transportation in Solano County.
Please sign up here to receive this newsletter directly in your inbox.
- Remote STA Board Meeting 4/14 at 6:00pm
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Two New Board Alternates Join STA
At the March 10, 2021, Solano Transportation Authority (STA) Board Meeting, two new Board Alternates, Dixon Vice Mayor Jim Ernest and Vacaville Vice Mayor Nolan Sullivan, were sworn in.
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STA Board Approves Connected Mobility Implementation Plan
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) created a regional Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force. The Task Force is focused on developing a Transformative Action Plan to guide the recovery and future funding of the region’s transit system and its 26 transit operators. This also includes Solano County’s five local transit operators.
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At their March meeting, the STA Board approved the draft scope of work for the Connected Mobility Implementation Plan that aligns with the goals of Solano County, and those of the Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force. This scope of work will provide the framework and data necessary for STA to proactively address the range of funding, service connectivity, and customer issues facing transit operations in Solano County since the onset of the pandemic. |
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I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange Package 2A Under Construction
The I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange is a multi-year, multi-phase project located in Solano County. Package 2A is the second of seven packages, which improves the connection of three major freeways at this interchange by reconfiguring the on and off ramps, and access to local streets. Package 1 was completed in 2017 with the new Green Valley Road Interchange and westbound (WB) SR 12 Connector from WB I-80 to WB SR 12. The I-80/I-680/SR12 Interchange Project is funded primarily with Senate Bill 1 (SB1) Trade Corridor Enhancement Program (TCEP) funds. It is also funded with State Transportation Improvement Program-Regional Improvement Program (STIP-RIP) funds as well as local Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) Bridge Toll Funds. For more information, visit the project website here.
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Photo Credit: Link21 Program |
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BART & Capitol Corridor Introduce a New Transbay Rail Crossing Project, Link21
Staff from the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) and the Bay Area Council Economic Institute (BACEI) presented an update on the Link21 Project at the March 10th STA Board meeting. Link21 is a long-range transportation program of projects that will transform the passenger rail network in the Northern California Megaregion into a faster, more integrated system which will provide a safer, more efficient, equitable, and affordable means of travel for all types of trips between SF/Peninsula to East Bay/Sacramento. The Suisun City/Fairfield Amtrak Station was recently designated as the Solano Rail Hub in support of Link 21 and the State Rail Plan’s goals. Link21 is led by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) with the CCJPA as a participant.
At the core of the Link21 Program is a new transbay rail crossing for regional trains that will connect Oakland and San Francisco. The existing transbay corridor, which includes BART, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, buses, and ferry service, is currently the most congested corridor in the Northern California Megaregion and one of the most congested corridors in the United States. For more information on Link21, click here to go to the program website, and click here for more information on the Solano Rail Hub.
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STA Submits Two Projects for MTC’s OBAG 2 Supplemental Funding
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has issued a call for projects to the nine Bay Area County Transportation Agencies for supplemental One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) 2 funding called the “Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick Strike” Program. This is a one-time, competitive grant program to fund local projects that can be implemented quickly to benefit communities responding and adapting to the COVID-19 environment. This program would provide approximately $2.8 million in available funding for near-term active transportation projects in Solano County. STA staff has worked with project sponsors to identify these two projects which meet the program’s criteria that are ready for “Quick Strike” implementation:
- Bay Trail/Vine Trail Segment ($1.8M): 4.5 miles of new high-quality trail through disadvantaged communities in Vallejo
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Hannigan Station Capacity Improvements ($1M): 119 new parking spaces, including electric charging stations
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SolanoExpress Continues to Provide Service for Essential Workers/Trips - 2nd Quarter Report
Solano County Transit (SolTrans) and Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) have submitted their FY 2020-21 mid-year reports for review by the STA Board. Quarterly reports of the routes' performances help guide future funding, service planning, and marketing decisions. The STA Board recently approved service changes to the SolanoExpress Blue, Red, and Green Express Lines with the goal of improving the overall performance of these three routes. SolanoExpress provides regional transit service for essential workers and transit dependent riders as they gradually return to work and take essential trips.
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Healthy Transit Outreach Campaign
Beginning on March 15th with Transit Worker Appreciation Week, SolanoExpress, SolTrans, and FAST, Vacaville City Coach, Dixon Readi-Ride, and Rio Vista Delta Breeze have embarked on a Healthy Transit Outreach social media campaign to help our riders safely transition back to transit. The 6-week long campaign will inform the public how the transit agencies are making public transportation as safe as possible for their riders during this COVID-19 era. This includes mask wearing, social distancing, contactless fare collection, disinfecting and sanitizing of buses. The campaign also acknowledges the hard work that transit drivers, cleaning, and maintenance staff undertake on a daily basis to ensure the safety of our public transit service and riders. For more information, follow each of Solano County’s transit agencies on Facebook (below).
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First/Last Mile Program Provides New Mobility Options
First/Last Mile Program
In May 2017, STA partnered with Lyft to launch the First/Last Mile Pilot Program in Solano County. This program was developed to encourage transit/rail/ferry use and decrease single occupancy vehicle usage by providing discounted First/Last mile connections to/from major transit centers specifically for commuters that travel to/from Solano county. Currently, there are 220 people registered for the program, an increase from 81 users in 2019, with 1,893 rides taken. STA also expanded its work with Lyft to include the Capital Corridor First/Last Mile Program as well as the Benicia Lyft Program.
Benicia Lyft Program with SolTrans
In partnership with SolTrans, the STA rolled out the Benicia Lyft program in 2018.This program was designed as a replacement to the Benicia Dial-A-Ride program, and provides rides around Benicia to veterans, American Disabilities Act (ADA) eligible individuals, and older adults for a standard $4 rate or $3 low-income rate. A total of 80 people have signed up for the program since launch, and the program has provided a total of 1,156 rides, with an average of about 80 rides/month. The total cost for this program to date is $9,268 in comparison to the annual cost of $180,000 for the Benicia Dial-A-Ride service.
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Nominations Open for Solano County’s Bike Champion of the Year
Traditionally, Bike to Work Day is the Bay Area’s premier event to encourage commuters in the nine Bay Area counties to try bike commuting for the first time, or to recommit to increasing time spent cycling. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the higher prevalence of telecommuting, Bike To Work Day is encouraging people to bike to whichever destination they choose in the month of May.
As part of the celebration for Bike to Wherever days, one bike champion from Solano County will be recognized as “Bike Champion of the Year” for their commitment to biking for everyday transportation. Nominations are being accepted until April 1, 2021. Go to the Bay Area Bike To Work Day’s website to submit a nomination, and stay tuned for a list of COVID-friendly bike activities for Bike Month in May.
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Solano Mobility Launches New Bucks For Bikes Program mid-March
Solano Mobility’s Bucks for Bikes Program is designed to encourage more bicycling to promote a healthy lifestyle, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting the number of solo vehicles on the road. The Bucks for Bikes Program incentive increased from $100 to $300 on Friday March 18th, 2021. For more information on the Buck for Bikes Program, please call Solano Mobility at 800-535-6883 or visit Solanomobility.org.
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