Higher bridge tolls could kick-start Dumbarton rail line

Q

With the dramatic hike in bridge tolls, it’s only fair to give bridge commuters alternatives to crossing the bay. Could some of the money raised through this be used toward the Dumbarton rail?

— Joe Li, Saratoga A

SamTrans has proposed using a big chunk of the higher tolls to rebuild the abandoned Dumbarton rail bridge to connect to existing commuting rail lines on both sides of the bay, boosting bus and ride-share options and improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Last week voters approved Regional Measure 3, which sets aside $130 million for improvements to the Dumbarton corridor. The agency’s many suggestions would cost $1.8 billion and the goal is to rebuild the abandoned rail bridge and activate a rail shuttle across the bay to connect Redwood City to Union City by 2030.

In addition, in two years SamTrans wants to increase the number of transbay buses. Still being looked at is converting a lane on the bridge to an express or reversible lane to match commute direc- tion by 2025.

QWhat is the gas tax going to cover? Interstate 80 needs new lane lines. … Interstate 880 is one bumpy ride. Any relief in sight?

— Paul Jennings, Don Franco and many others A

Smoother rides are coming, thanks partially to the new gas tax. Caltrans is repaving 104 lane miles on north I-880 from Fremont Boulevard in Fremont to High Street in Oakland, a job that will be done at night and be completed by Labor Day.

And I-80 is getting new lane striping between Vallejo and Fairfield, with $3.4 million in gas tax funds being used. Crews will apply new wet-nightvisibility paint to the lanes and replace the old standard 4-inch-wide traffic stripes with brighter 6-inch-wide stripes. Later, crews will stripe I-80 in Vacaville.

Q

When the heck will Concord repave Ygnacio Valley Road? From Clayton Road to Oak Grove is a pothole lover’s dream. All they have been doing is filling the holes in and that doesn’t last, maybe four to six months, and then you have the new ones appearing. I take that road twice a day, six days a week, and it is murder on the tires if you can’t avoid them. Help!

— Collette Silvia A

Concord just approved repaving Ygnacio Valley Road in 201920 to replace portions of failed asphalt between the city limits with Walnut Creek and Alberta Way.

Q

It’s going to cost $15 million for a 1.5-mile median barrier on Vasco Road? What an insult to my political and taxpaying intelligence.

— Greg Clemente, Brentwood A

The $15 million price tag also covers pavement widening, signing, striping, turn pockets, retaining walls, drainage improvements, wildlife mitigation, bridge widening, and barrier end-treatments to accommodate the installation of the median barrier.