Yesterday, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to be elected party leader in either house of Congress, announced that she has secured $120 million for several key San Francisco Bay Area transportation projects.

The transportation bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 357 to 65.

The House bill will now be reconciled with the Senate bill.

"The legislation brings us a step closer to funding essential upgrades of our transportation infrastructure to provide for our current and future transit needs," Pelosi said. "These projects create jobs and will greatly enhance the economic and environmental vitality of the entire San Francisco Bay Area."

"These projects are vital to reducing growing traffic congestion by encouraging the use of mass transit, protecting our environment by reducing air pollution and fuel consumption, and easing the flow of commuters, workers and visitors throughout our city."

The San Francisco Bay Area Transportation improvements include:

* The Golden Gate Bridge, which carries 42 million vehicles and is visited by 10 million people annually, will get a seismic upgrade and be retrofitted, so that it can endure an earthquake up to 8.3 in magnitude. (Funding: $10M now; $60M over six years)

* Re-construction of the 60-year-old Transbay Terminal that will provide a centralized location for bus and rail services. This project will include bus ramps to and from the Bay Bridge, a 1.3-mile extension of Caltrain's Commuter Rail system to the new Terminal, and access to the proposed high-speed rail system that will allow riders to travel from the center of San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2 1/2 hours. (Funding: $14M)

* Geary Boulevard improvements for motorists, Muni bus riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists. (Funding: $12 million)

* Replacement of Doyle Drive, a 1.5-mile segment of U.S. 101 that provides the south access to the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge and is the only link from San Francisco to Marin County and all points north. (Funding: $6 million)

* An Illiinois Street Bridge and Amado Street Connection, two cargo terminals and enhanced security in the Port of San Francisco (Funding: $5 million)

* 20 million park visitors, commuters and residents will benefit from a comprehensive system of trails and bikeways for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Presidio. (Funding: $5 million)

* San Francisco Muni's NextBus program will soon offer Internet-accessible, precise, real-time arrival information for Muni vehicles at destinations throughout the city. (Funding: $4 million)

* The non-profit, City CarShare which provides cars to members on an as-needed basis, will be able to expand its service to low-income communities. Car-sharing allows members to pay only for the time they use the car and the miles they drive, thereby saving thousands of dollars annually over the cost of owning a car. City CarShare has grown to serve more than 2,200 individual, household and business members sharing 85 vehicles in 35 locations throughout the Bay Area. Every additional electric, hybrid or gasoline vehicle added to the CarShare fleet removes six other autos from the Bay Area's overcrowded streets and highways. (Funding: $2 million)

* The creation of an Oyster Point Ferry Terminal located in the heart of South San Francisco's Biotech Bay, where many of our nation's leading life science companies are headquartered -- including Genentech, Tularik and ViroLogic (Funding: $2 million)

* The bill also authorizes funding in the "New Starts" rail transit account for the Central Subway, which is part of the Third Street Light Rail corridor. This two-phase project is San Francisco's highest transit priority as well as a top priority for the Bay Area's next generation of regional transit expansion projects.

Thank you Nancy Pelosi! Thank you House of Representatives! And thank you taxpayers!

Inspire & Be Inspired.

~Jennifer King

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