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By Alec MacDonald
Journeys that begin or end at Oakland International Airport often total thousands of miles. What’s another 3.2? Mathematically, almost nothing, but politically, it feels like everything.
The short distance between the airport and the Coliseum BART station has become subject to scrutiny in a heated debate over how to get people from their planes to their trains and back again. Currently, travelers can take AirBART, a shuttle bus that makes the trip in roughly 15 minutes for three dollars. As soon as 2013, however, they may be able to save time by taking an elevated tram instead, although at double the fare.
Crowds have flocked to BART board meetings as supporters and opponents of the tram idea have both sought to make their case. Those in favor claim that the service would attract more riders, and that construction of the project would create some 13,000 new jobs. Those opposed counter that the existing shuttle system could be improved for much cheaper; by spending approximately $50 million, they believe BART could operate an enhanced express bus line without even charging riders a single penny.
At its May 14 convening, however, the board elected to pursue the tram option, which has been projected to cost ten times the proposed alternative. How to gather enough funding to match this expense? A collection of regional, state, and federal dollars will be needed, and so BART staff have been trying to assemble all the pieces of this complicated financial pie. The agency is well on its way, but will need a loan of $150 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIFIA program. What’s more, the Port of Oakland will have to pitch in with $44 million, a move which that agency’s board will discuss in the near future — in what may be yet another jam-packed meeting.