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CCTA outlines countywide transportation plan and funds Moraga Way feasibility study for evacuation and multimodal access
Summary
Tim Hale (CCTA) presented a countywide transportation-expenditure framework emphasizing transit reliability, people-first streets and smart signals; Moraga public works director Nate Levine described a federally funded feasibility study to develop a Moraga Way multimodal trail that could be used as an emergency vehicle access (EVA) lane during evacuations.
Tim Hale, executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, briefed La Mirinda leaders on the countywide Transportation Expenditure Plan process and two projects of local significance: a county evacuation-readiness study and a La Mirinda smart-signals project. Hale said the likely funding projection for a Measure J extension is about $3'03.5 billion and stressed community-first engagement and clear accountability for any expenditure plan.
Hale highlighted regional projects that would support evacuation and first-responder coordination and noted the CCTA board had approved advertisement for the smart-signals construction, expected to upgrade 56 intersections for better safety and transit priority.
Moraga Public Works Director Nate Levine outlined a $500,000 SS4A feasibility grant to study a Moraga Way corridor between Downtown Moraga and Orinda BART. Levine said the concept is to build a near-continuous 10—12-foot multimodal trail that could become an "EVA, emergency vehicle access lane" in a major evacuation and that the feasibility phase will identify right-of-way constraints, pinch points, costs and community preferences.
"During an emergency event where we need to do evacuation, we could convert it to what's called an EVA, emergency vehicle access lane," Levine said, explaining how contraflow and smart-signal coordination could help evacuation flows. The study will seek to reach 10—15% design and is expected to take nine to 12 months after federal agreement is finalized.
Officials pressed for rigorous data quality for the evacuation modeling and asked whether alternatives (for example adapting the Lafayette-Moraga Trail) had been fully assessed; Levine said the feasibility work will document constraints and costs and inform future design choices.
Next steps: CCTA will move forward with the countywide evacuation study and advertise the smart-signals project for construction; Moraga and Orinda staff will proceed with consultant selection and community outreach once the SS4A agreement is executed.
