Feds Could Help Fund 2nd BART Tube -- But Project Is a Long Way Off

The nation's top transportation official says the federal government will be ready to help if the Bay Area seeks funding for a second transbay BART tube.

Anthony Foxx visited San Francisco on Wednesday, and in response to a question about the federal government's willingness to fund such a project, here's what he said:

“We rely very heavily on the consensus to form at the local level for various transit projects, and I think we’ve shown a willingness to take some pretty aggressive steps to help, and I would expect this to be no different.”

Since the first tube opened in 1974, the Bay Area’s population has swelled from 4.3 million to 7.6 million today. During the same period, the number of weekday trips on BART has grown nearly eightfold, from an average of 57,000 to 434,000.

As the system has gotten busier and congestion has gotten worse on the region's freeways, transportation planners have floated the idea of building a second tube to ease overcrowding on BART and roadways.

One recent proposal, issued in February by the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, suggested a new tube might accommodate both BART and other high-speed rail systems.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesperson Randy Rentschler said Wednesday a second tube is an achievable goal -- but it’s a long way out.

“The process here is just so difficult to get through legally, but the other reason is that it's very difficult to raise that level of money,” Rentschler said.

Numerous stakeholders would have to agree to a second tube and the MTC would have to line up money from numerous sources beyond the federal government.

Renstchler said that 10 years ago, a second tube seemed like a “pie-in-the-sky” idea. But because people have seen BART’s recent crowding, Renstchler thinks there will be increased support.

Secretary Foxx was in town to hear San Francisco’s proposal for the Department of Transportation's Smart Cities Challenge -- a nationwide competition challenging local governments to develop plans to integrate new technologies -- such as self-driving cars, "connected" vehicles and smart sensors -- into their transportation network.

San Francisco is one of seven finalists in the contest; its proposal involves sponsoring a competition among the city's neighborhoods for a pilot project testing a blend of methods to ease traffic congestion and make streets safer.

Other finalists include Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Kansas City, Missouri; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Portland, Oregon.

The winning city receives up to $40 million to fund its proposal.