Planners are working quickly to refine a proposal for a $1.8 billion project connecting the 680 corridor in the East Bay Area to bedroom communities in the Central Valley.
"A newly-formed transit authority is moving at a lightning pace to design and build a rail link between the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station and Lathrop in the Central Valley," reports Erin Baldassari. The newly formed rail authority is known as the Tri-Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority.
"The authority’s governing board last month released its vision for the Valley Link: a 10-station commuter line, with BART-like service in the Tri-Valley, that could start carrying passengers in five to seven years."
According to Baldassari, the new rail link could come as welcome relief to super commuters traveling between the far East Bay and the Central Valley, which is an increasingly common practice in what officials are calling the "megaregion."
The article includes a lot more details on what the new rail line could deliver in terms of service, and what to expect from next steps in the planning process.
Read the full story: Meet the Valley Link: Your ticket out of mega-commuting hell
B Line Commuter Rail Extension Gets a Green Light in Colorado
The Board of Directors for the Regional Transportation District has given a preliminary green light to accelerate planning work on the B Line extension from Denver to Boulder and Longmont.
Political Pressure Reinvigorates B Line Extension Plans in Colorado
The CEO of the Regional Transportation District speculated recently about whether a planned extension of the B Line to Boulder was necessary or desirable. The governor doesn't think the speculation was necessary or desirable.
San Diego High-Speed Rail Plan Counts on Future Density
Despite slowing population growth statewide, officials believe the region will "grow into" the new rail system if cities promote dense development around transit stations.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic place names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority