SFMTA Receives $116 Million Award from CalSTA

SFMTA Receives $116 Million Award from CalSTA
By

Two Light Rail Vehicles at a Station Platform

A Snapshot from our most recent round of service changes

Back in June, we published a blog about the loss of Proposition A, the Muni Reliability and Street Safety Bond, and what it would mean for our infrastructure projects going forward.

In the post, we reaffirmed our commitment to find alternative sources for these funds. We know that improving Muni and making streets safer remain priorities for our community—and we’re dedicated to making that a reality. We’ve also committed to being transparent about our financial situation and budget, and we have good news to share on that front.

Last week, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) awarded us $116 million for SFMTA Core Capacity projects as part of the fifth cycle of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). This historic investment will be used to directly fund projects that will make Muni more reliable and dependable. Speeding up Muni and making it a more desirable option for San Franciscans benefits all of us—including easing congestion

Three key components of our system will benefit from this money. Funding for this project will implement the Muni Forward program on three key corridors (K, N, and the 38R Geary lines) to enhance reliability, efficiency, travel times, and rider comfort. Muni Forward has already been successfully deployed on 70 miles of Transit Priority Projects across San Francisco. The new Muni Forward projects will promote reliability and ridership gains on the K Ingleside and N Judah rail lines, and the 38 Geary bus line.

Two phases of our Train Control Update Project will also receive funding from CalSTA. This project will eventually increase capacity by 20 percent on our vehicles that travel through the Market Street tunnel and will for the first time provide the ability for centralized line management of the entire light rail system.

Lastly, CalSTA is providing funding for a Muni Metro Modernization Planning Study, which will identify the next package of investments to provide additional capacity and reliability improvements for the Muni Metro. Together, these infrastructure improvements will provide Muni rail customers faster, longer trains and a quality of service that can be relied on for time-sensitive trips.

The SFMTA also received news last week that Moody’s Investors Service has assigned an Aa3 on revenue bonds forthe SFMTA's outstanding revenue bonds and the agency’s planned issuance of revenue bonds to help fund critical capital projects. Although this is a downgrade from our previous Aa2 rating, Aa3 is currently the highest rating for US mass transit systems’ revenue bonds secured by general operating revenue. Moody’s also assigned the SFMTA a rating outlook of “stable” based on the expectation that our finances will be balanced with federal aid over the next 18-24 and the SFMTA’s commitment to proactively seek additional revenue sources to a maintain structural balance. You can read more about the announcement at our Press Center.

We will continue to update the public as we get a better sense of our financial outlook and identify alternate funding sources for projects that depended on Proposition A funding. We will continue to have more conversations and engagement with community members and community-based organizations on their priorities to deliver a transportation system that works for all San Franciscans.

Published July 09, 2022 at 01:05AM
https://ift.tt/hSTMxCg

Comments

New top story from Time: Hongkongers Line Up to Buy Last Edition of Pro-Democracy Apple Daily Newspaper

https://ift.tt/3vYZQfu (HONG KONG) — Across Hong Kong, people lined up early Thursday to buy the last print edition of the last remaining pro-democracy newspaper. By 8:30 a.m., Apple Daily’s final edition of 1 million copies was sold out across most of the city’s newsstands. The newspaper said it would cease operations after police froze $2.3 million in assets, searched its office and arrested five top editors and executives last week, accusing them of foreign collusion to endanger national security — another sign Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city. In recent years, the newspaper has become increasingly outspoken, criticizing Chinese and Hong Kong authorities for limiting the city’s freedoms not found in mainland China and accusing them of reneging on a promise to protect them for 50 years after the 1997 handover from Britain. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The pressure on the paper — and Hong Kong’s civil liberties — increased after authorities r...

Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume

Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume By Mariana Maguire It’s been over a year since Market Street went “car-free” on January 29, 2020 , but shortly afterwards, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our city and changed how people move through San Francisco. As the city begins to reopen and vehicle traffic is increasing, we are by stepping up compliance and enforcement efforts to keep Market Street car-free starting March 29, with the help of SFMTA’s Parking Control Officers (PCOs) and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). Under the year-old car-free rules established as a part of Better Market Street , no private vehicles are allowed to travel along Market Street eastbound from 10th to Main streets or westbound from Steuart Street to Van Ness Avenue. Traffic is still allowed to cross Market Street, but there are no turns allowed onto the street in the car-free area. These restrictions apply to all private vehicles, including Uber, ...

New top story from Time: Simone Biles Is Already the Best Gymnast Ever. She’ll Be Even Better for Tokyo

https://ift.tt/3qlhBnM When you’ve won seven national championships, 19 world titles, five Olympic medals ( four of them gold ), and your leotards are already decorated with a rhinestone goat (a nod to Greatest of All Time status), is there anything left to prove? For most people, the answer is no. But Simone Biles is not like most people, or even most Olympians. The 4 ft. 8 in. 24-year-old from Spring, Texas, is not only the most dominant gymnast of her time—she is likely the greatest in history. With an unmatched blend of skill, power and daring—and more than a splash of charisma—Biles has won every all-around national, world and Olympic competition she has entered since 2013. Her record haul of 25 World Championship medals is five more than that of her closest rival—who retired in 2004. Biles has four gymnastics skills named after her, an honor reserved for the first competitor to execute a new move in a major international competition. And she has a fifth that she is lik...

FOX NEWS: Horse photobombs maternity shoot with hilarious smile: 'Always into mischief' When Amanda Eckstein and Phillip Werner posed together for their maternity shoot, they didn’t think a horse would steal the show.

Horse photobombs maternity shoot with hilarious smile: 'Always into mischief' When Amanda Eckstein and Phillip Werner posed together for their maternity shoot, they didn’t think a horse would steal the show. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/2UEG8Zv

New top story from Time: The Pandemic Caused the Biggest Decline in U.S. Life Expectancy since World War 2. Black and Hispanic Americans Have Suffered the Most

https://ift.tt/3j8iYEM Although James Toussaint has never had COVID-19, the pandemic is taking a profound toll on his health. First, the 57-year-old lost his job delivering parts for a New Orleans auto dealership in spring 2020, when the local economy shut down. Then, he fell behind on his rent. Last month, Toussaint was forced out of his apartment when his landlord—who refused to accept federally funded rental assistance —found a loophole in the federal ban on evictions. Toussaint has recently had trouble controlling his blood pressure. Arthritis in his back and knees prevents him from lifting more than 20 pounds, a huge obstacle for a manual laborer. He worries about what will happen when his unemployment benefits from the federal government run out, which could come as early as July 31 . “I’ve been homeless before,” says Toussaint, who found a room to rent nearby after his eviction. “I don’t want to be homeless again.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] With coronavirus ...

FOX NEWS: Firefighter helps veteran suffering from PTSD episode on airplane Firefighters don’t just fight fire.

Firefighter helps veteran suffering from PTSD episode on airplane Firefighters don’t just fight fire. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3ddRzO9

FOX NEWS: Rattlesnake bites 5-year-old girl multiple times in dad's backyard, revealing previously unknown allergy Education is the best way to prepare for emergencies.

Rattlesnake bites 5-year-old girl multiple times in dad's backyard, revealing previously unknown allergy Education is the best way to prepare for emergencies. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3vOQO4j

Delhi's air quality hits 'very poor' level first time this season https://ift.tt/2IqcAsn

The national capital's air quality was in the “very poor” category on Tuesday morning, the first time this season, with calm winds and low temperatures allowing the accumulation of pollutants. According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, an increase in farm fires in Punjab, Haryana and neighbouring regions of Pakistan is also going to impact the air quality in Delhi-NCR.

FOX NEWS: Texas nurse loses 109 pounds while she cared for coronavirus patients Megan Hill, 35, from Fort Worth, Texas, lost 109 pounds despite the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and the end of her marriage.

Texas nurse loses 109 pounds while she cared for coronavirus patients Megan Hill, 35, from Fort Worth, Texas, lost 109 pounds despite the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and the end of her marriage. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/35SQG9s

New top story from Time: What’s the Song of the Summer for 2021? Here Are Our Predictions

https://ift.tt/3xM71ZI It’s officially summer—and a weird one at that. While many Americans are enjoying a return to big group gatherings (weddings! Block parties! Live music!), others are still hesitant to jump back in with the specter of COVID-19 not fully in the rearview. Through this uneasy reentry weaves our summer soundscape: the teen angst of Olivia Rodrigo , the lazy sweetness of Justin Bieber and “Peaches,” the disco and soul vibes of Dua Lipa and Silk Sonic. Here’s how we think the annual song of the summer debate could—and should—play out as these hot months unfold. What do the charts say? [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Raisa Bruner: It depends what chart you look at, of course, but Olivia Rodrigo’s pop-punk hit “Good 4 U” was sitting pretty on both Spotify’s global charts and and Billboard’s Hot 100 as the respective number one and number two in mid-June, making that anthemic send-off song a bona fide summer hit. After that, it gets a little more complicated...

My precise view

Search This Blog