Breaking Ground on A New BART Pedestrian and Bike Trail

The City of Pittsburg and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) celebrated the groundbreaking of the BART Connectivity Project.Photo byCity of Pittsburg

Photo caption: From L-R: Jacklyn Duque of the Office of Asm. Tim Grayson; CalTrans Chief Deputy District Director David Ambuehl; CCTA Executive Director Tim Haile; Pittsburg City Manager Garrett Evans; Pittsburg Mayor Juan Antonio Banales; BART Board Vice President Mark Foley; Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce President Nancy Hairsine; CCTA Chair/Mayor of Danville Newell Arnerich

(Photo Courtesy City of Pittsburg)

Pittsburg and Contra Costa Transportation Authority break ground on a new BART Connectivity Project that will connect the Delta de Anza Regional Trail with the Pittsburg Center BART Station.

PITTSBURG, CA – The City of Pittsburg and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) celebrated the groundbreaking of the BART Connectivity Project. Once completed, the project will add more than 1.5 miles of new trails and pathways to Pittsburg and connect several new developments to public transportation.

It has taken more than a decade to bring to fruition this key component of Pittsburg and CCTA’s shared goals to reduce automobile reliance, roadway congestion, and carbon emissions.

The project is the largest single implementation of the Pittsburg Active Transportation Plan to date and made possible by a CCTA One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) of $3.87 million, a $600,000 Pedestrian, Bicycle and Trail Facilities Grant from BART, $58,000 from the Transportation Development Act, and $75,000 from the City’s Measure J and Measure M funds. The total cost is expected to be $4.5 million.

“This project has been envisioned as part of the Railroad Avenue Specific Plan since its adoption in 2009, and the project in itself is a traffic mitigation measure, in that it will further provide residents with a safe alternative to the automobile, encouraging fewer cars on the road,” says Mayor Juan Antonio Banales.

“At the same time, the project will also help transform Railroad Avenue, adding an aesthetic value that will welcome residents and visitors entering and commuting,” added Mayor Banales.

As three young bicyclists waited at the junction of the new bike path and the existing Delta de Anza Trail, CCTA Chair and Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich, noted the importance of providing such infrastructure for future generations.

“This project highlights what can be accomplished when multiple agencies come together with the focus of achieving a common goal, CCTA Chair Arnerich said, “Here, we have a product of that collaboration, and it can be a catalyst to help move Contra Costa transportation forward.”

For more information, call the City of Pittsburg at (925) 252-4015 or visit PittsburgCa.gov.

About The City of Pittsburg

Incorporated in 1903, Pittsburg is located on the south shore of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Northern California, 30 miles east of San Francisco. The City has a population of 77,752 and operates under the council/manager form of government with its Police, Public Works, Community and Economic Development, Finance, Community Services, and Recreation Departments, as well as its utility divisions operating as the Pittsburg Power Company and Pittsburg Water. With more than 5,000 new housing units in the development pipeline, as well as large industrial corridors slated for redevelopment, Pittsburg is one of the fastest-growing cities in Contra Costa County. For more information, please call the City Manager’s Office at (925) 252-4850.

About The Contra Costa Transportation Authority

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty-three people managing a multibillion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding, and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.