Start 2nd BART tube now to revitalize Alameda

My husband, John, and I are pleased to hear that another San Francisco Bay transit crossing is finally under serious consideration. Since the Alameda Naval Air Station closure in 1997, we have quietly advocated buying and holding for future use the old Navy base land until such time as a rail crossing might connect the western end of Alameda with San Francisco and Oakland.

That was the only sensible way we could imagine the base land ever being redeveloped.

In Alameda, city leaders focused only on residential and commercial development. They apparently did not consider that financial institutions are unlikely to invest at the old base because of the island’s lack of tubes or bridges that meet the higher, lifeline, seismic standards.

Even though we had mentioned the idea of land banking the base to numerous Alameda City Council members and several mayors, none came forward with a vision. Instead, as one Environmental Impact Report after another for development proposals for the old Navy base was filed, each ignored the island’s constraints and omitted addressing its future infrastructure needs.

I started advocating for resolving the transportation problems after learning about the Netherlands’ “infrastructure first” policy while on a research trip there in 1997. As a result of this policy, development in the Netherlands is strategically located for a balanced fit.

An auto bridge, as suggested by others, does not fit on either side of San Francisco Bay; neither the land nor the geometry of the existing roadways would allow for feasible vehicular connections. Transit, ferry, bicycle and walking are the only options available in the dense central core of the Bay Area.

Let’s not wait 50 years, passing the time with study after study. Dust off the many engineering studies that have been done over the years for this proposed crossing and update those.

And, Alameda City Hall, land bank the base property for a transit crossing and work with BART to make this happen. The city may want to donate the base property to BART to develop (if BART builds a second tube under the bay) so the profits can help fund the new crossing, while increasing land values in Alameda.

Let’s create an even more mobile future for Alameda and the entire San Francisco Bay Area. Build another transit crossing sooner, rather than later.

Eugenie P. Thomson, a retired civil and traffic engineer, worked on many engineering projects, including the Caldecott tunnels, freeway interchanges, airports, light rail and transit projects. She is a former member of the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. She lived in Alameda for 37 years until moving recently to Mount Shasta.