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Chapter 1 x Executive Summary <br />1-4 <br />Increasing Safety Concerns. The Dumbarton Rail Bridge is a potentially significant asset for the <br />San Francisco Bay Area but is non-functional because of historic incidents and inadequate <br />maintenance. Failure to repurpose the Rail Bridge would represent a wasted opportunity to <br />provide needed transportation infrastructure. It also represents a safety hazard in its current <br />condition and could require substantial funding to remove if not repaired. <br />As a result of this need, the following are the DTCS goals or purpose: <br />ƒ Identify capital improvements and operational programs in the Dumbarton Corridor that <br />enhance multimodal mobility for local and regional travelers, with an emphasis on <br />improving person throughput by expanding transit service. <br />ƒ Pursue cost-effective capital, operational and maintenance improvements with a return on <br />investment, if feasible, including the effective repurposing of the Dumbarton Rail Bridge. <br />ƒ Manage and minimize environmental impacts and financial risk, and maximize safety. <br />ƒ Ensure local communities in the East Bay and Peninsula are protected from adverse <br />impacts related to the development and operation of regional mobility solutions. <br />Additional detail about the purpose and need of the study are included in Chapter 3. <br />1.2 Existing and Future Conditions <br />Traffic congestion in the study area is the primary reason for studying and implementing <br />transportation solutions in the Corridor. As shown in Figure 1-2 and Figure 1-3, average speeds <br />on major arterials in the morning and evening peak periods are low, resulting in significant <br />vehicle and person delay. Regional Plan Bay Area forecasts by the Association of Bay Area <br />Governments, as projected by the San Mateo City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG) – <br />Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) travel demand model, predict that both <br />population and employment of the DTCS cities will grow by 27 percent between 2013 and 2040, <br />or 290,000 residents and 190,000 jobs. The continued pattern of relatively affordable housing in <br />the East Bay and employment growth on the Peninsula will exacerbate the congested conditions <br />on the region’s roadways if attractive alternatives are not implemented. <br />Due to constrained ROW and potential environmental and community impacts, increasing the <br />roadway and highway capacity through widening is very limited and undesirable. Alameda and <br />Santa Clara County have both constructed express lanes to increase the person throughput of <br />high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, by allowing single-occupant vehicles (SOVs) to pay a toll to <br />use lanes otherwise only available to HOVs. More express lane solutions are being considered <br />throughout the region, including in San Mateo County, to address the congestion on highways by <br />encouraging HOV travel and providing access for transit vehicles where they currently compete <br />with SOVs. <br /> <br />6.1.D. - Page 13