San Francisco Chronicle
April 1, 2000

By Greg Lucas, Sacramento Bureau Chief

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Gray Davis is set to unveil an ambitious $5 billion transit and road-building plan that includes a fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel and money to help extend BART from Fremont to San Jose, The Chronicle has learned.

The Democratic governor's plan, which uses $2.8 billion in one-time state money and an additional $2.2 billion in bonds that would have to be approved by voters, is aimed at unsnarling congestion trouble spots around the state.

Under the proposal, the state's $5 billion commitment would be supplemented by $10 billion in federal and local money.

``I'm excited the governor is coming our way by engaging in a pay-as- you-go plan instead of raising taxes, but we need to keep in mind this is throwing a nickel at a problem that costs a dollar,'' said Assembly Republican leader Scott Baugh of Huntington Beach. ``We need a long-term strategy.''

Davis' proposal would spend $4.5 billion of the state's $5 billion commitment on new construction projects, the remainder on rehabilitation and maintenance.

A RISKY $10 BILLION

The risky part of the proposal is the $10 billion in federal and local money. If those sources fall short, the remaining cost of the projects scattered around the state won't be covered.

A spokesman for Davis declined to comment on specifics of the plan, which is expected to be announced Wednesday in Los Angeles and Thursday in the Bay Area.

The plan selects a long list of specific projects, both rail and highway, and would jump-start their construction.

For example, a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel, which takes Highway 24 beneath the East Bay hills, is not a project the Metropolitan Transportation Commission planned to build for at least 20 years.

Davis earmarks $20 million in state money for the $120 million project.

Extending BART to San Jose was not a project that the MTC included in a wish list forwarded to Davis. MTC argued only for an extension of BART to Warm Springs, near the New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. plant in Fremont.

That's a $500 million project, but Davis goes further by providing seed money for what is pegged as a $4 billion project to extend BART to San Jose, according to sources who have seen the governor's plan.

Davis already has pledged $35 million to buy right-of-way to connect San Jose and BART in Union City with a commuter train line.

Also on Davis' project list is a proposal to increase the speed and number of trains on the Caltrain line from San Francisco to San Jose.

The $127 million project, which includes adding cars, making track improvements and buying right-of- way, would be completed by 2003.

When completed, commute time would be halved to 45 minutes with trains leaving every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to midnight.

It's estimated the new service could reduce traffic on Highways 101 and 280 by 12 percent.

Another project on MTC's wish list also may make Davis' project list -- a MUNI subway linking the new Pacific Bell Park with Chinatown.

Also reportedly included on the list of projects are $250 million in improvements to Amtrak lines and widening of Highway 101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

PROJECTS FOR REPUBLICANS

In an effort to win GOP backing of his plan, Davis also proposes large road building and transit projects in districts represented by Republican lawmakers, particularly Orange County.

Davis' new list of projects is a dramatic expansion of the $121 million he earmarked in his January budget plan for one-time transit projects.

Those included $36 million to add a train and make track improvements to the Altamont Commuter Express, $5 million for Caltrain station at Coyote Valley and $15 million to extend the Vasona Corridor light-rail project in San Jose.

``I have yet to see the details, but we would be supportive of such a plan as we continue to work on the longer term transportation needs and particularly the funding of those needs,'' said Bill Hauck, president of the California Business Roundtable, a group advocating greater transportation investment.

Davis' new plan, which he promised to create after his January road- building proposal was roundly criticized as unworkable, is not a long- term fix for the state's crumbling and overburdened transportation network.

The business roundtable estimates that to meet commuter demand, the cost of upgrading and expanding the state's transportation system over the next 20 years is $150 billion.

To speed construction of the projects, the governor also reportedly recommends allowing the Department of Transportation to contract out for design work.

That places him in the middle of a political war between the labor union representing state engineers and public sector engineering firms which have placed an initiative on the November ballot to allow outside contracting.

The practice is now largely prohibited by a court ruling.

PAYING FOR THEIR SHARE

Davis' plan is also silent on how local transportation agencies pay for their share of project costs.

Davis is opposed to a constitutional amendment which would allow local agencies to extend local sales tax increases that pay for transportation projects on a majority -- instead of two-thirds -- vote.

Without the local sales tax money, counties in the state's most congested regions will be forced to postpone projects they already plan on building and fail to share in Davis' plan.


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