For Immediate Release
March 28, 2002

FACT SHEET BART - Oakland International Airport Connector project approval and EIR/EIS certification by BART Board

What: BART Board approval of the BART - Oakland International Airport Connector project and certification of the project's EIR/EIS. The BART Board:

• Certified the Final Environmental Impact Report.
• Adopted the Recommended Project, defined as the Preferred Alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Report/Final Environmental Impact Statement.
• Adopted the Findings, Facts in Support of Findings, Statement of Overriding Considerations, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan for the BART - Oakland International Airport Connector Project.
• Authorized the BART General Manager to proceed with implementation actions, including acquisition of property as funding is identified.

Who: The BART Board of Directors

When: Thursday, March 28, 2002

Why:

• The Connector project will provide a fast, reliable and convenient alternative to driving on congested roadways to and from Oakland International Airport as well as businesses and residences in the vicinity of the Hegenberger - 98th Ave. corridor.
• People working at the Airport will be able to get to their jobs via the Connector. Between now and 2010, jobs at the Airport will increase from 15,900 to over 18,600.
• The Connector will replace over three million vehicle trips per year between the Airport and points all around the Bay Area.
• Oakland International Airport is the principal gateway to Oakland and the East Bay for visitors from outside the region. The Connector is an integral part of that gateway, linking the Airport with the transportation network that accesses Oakland, the East Bay and the entire Bay Area.
• The Connector will also link the Airport with a revitalized East Oakland. It will directly access the Oakland Coliseum Station Area Development Project, which is planned as the cornerstone of major new commercial, industrial and residential development in the area.

Background Information:

• The Connector will be a seamless connection between BART and the Airport. What that means is that the Connector is part of the BART system, so riders don't have to pay a separate fare when transferring between BART and the Connector.
• The Connector is a three-mile long link that will connect with BART at the Coliseum station. It will feature a raised guideway that will allow riders to move along rapidly above traffic.
• Riders will save a considerable amount of time over the current bus connector between BART and the airport, especially when there are major events at the Coliseum complex and during peak travel periods at the Airport.
• A design/build contract for the Connector is scheduled for award in 2004 and the system should begin operation in 2008.
• The Connector will also link Capitol Corridor and Amtrak trains to the Airport at the future Coliseum-Airport station, to be built across the street from the Coliseum BART station.

Contact:
Marilyn Sandifur
Media/Public Relations Manager
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1193
msandifur@portoakland.com

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