BART Official Says eBART Rail Project Set To Open In 2016
ANTIOCH (KCBS) — A Bay Area Rapid Transit official said the eBART project linking Eastern Contra Costa County with BART is on time and on budget.
The $463 million light-rail line, which is sometimes called BART light, will give commuters in Antioch easier access to the real BART line in 2016, according to project manager Ellen Smith.
The new line will be a transit alternative for commuters frustrated with driving on Highway 4.
KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:
While Caltrans has done a lot of work in trying to improve the flow of traffic, Smith said traffic is still a mess.
"Although it's being widened, [Highway 4] is one of the most atrocious bottlenecks in the Bay Area. People are very unhappy about it every day. So what we want to do is offer a commute alternative," she said.
"There are other benefits to it as well. It reduces vehicle miles traveled, air quality benefits and we think there's really good opportunities for developments around our station sites." Smith added.
A ten-mile stretch of track is currently under construction.
Smith, who works in BART's Planning Department, touted the project's financial efficiency. If BART were to extend the line with conventional trains and tracks, the cost would increase to $1.2 billion.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
