The Community-Based Transportation Planning Grant (CBTPG) has $3 million available statewide to eligible applicants, with a cap of $300,000 per grant. The purpose of the CBTPG Program is to fund coordinated transportation and land use planning projects that promote public engagement, livable communities, and a sustainable transportation system which includes mobility, access, and safety. Products delivered under this Program are expected to be a documented study, plan, or concept that can be used by the applicant to further smart growth and a community's sustainability. The County has submitted applications in the past under this program to develop plans for streetscape improvements along Bailey Road pursuant to the Pittsburg-Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan. The Bailey Road project was funded under the Transportation for Livable Communities program administered by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.
The Bay Point - Willow Pass Road Transportation Enhancement and Streetscape Plan (Plan) will primarily improve the bicycle and pedestrian environment along Willow Pass Road. The Plan will provide recommendations and concepts that fulfill the community's desire for Willow Pass Road to be a safer bicycle, pedestrian, transit oriented and visually aesthetic corridor. The study section of Willow Pass Road starts at the intersection of Port Chicago Highway (just north of State Route 4), and extends east to the Pittsburg city limit in Bay Point.
Willow Pass Road served as State Route 4 prior to the construction of the freeway in the 1960s. Since the construction of State Route 4, Willow Pass Road now functions as Bay Point’s Main Street. However, the existing configuration and urban design do not serve this role well. The Plan will provide preliminary design to include infrastructure for pedestrian, bicycle, and transit while still meeting the needs of the auto traffic traveling through the corridor.
The Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan (2002) established policies and standards to achieve the goal of creating a land use pattern that recognizes the attractiveness of public transit utilization, the success of business in the area and the creation of a rich and fulfilling living environment for existing and future residents. A portion of Willow Pass Road is within the Specific Plan Area. The proposed project is identified as an implementation measure of the Specific Plan.
The section of Willow Pass Road between Port Chicago Highway and Manor Drive has been widened to a 100 foot right-of-way which allows four lanes plus a left-turn lane, parking on the south side, bike lanes and ten foot wide sidewalks. The section of Willow Pass Road between Manor Drive and Bailey Road is currently 76 feet wide in an 84 foot right-of-way. The remaining section of Willow Pass Road in the study area, between Bailey Road and the Pittsburg city limits, consists of two lanes (one in each direction), plus a center turn lane and bike lanes. The General Plan calls for this two-lane section to be widened to four lanes.
The Transportation, Water and Infrastructure (TWI) Committee received a report on the CBTPG Program and the proposed Plan. A copy of the report to the TWI Committee and a draft CBTPG application is attached. The TWI Committee supported the grant application and recommended coordination with the City of Concord in addition to the City of Pittsburg. The Bay Point Municipal Advisory Committee supports the grant application.
If proposed Resolution 2012/28 is not approved, the County will not be eligible to receive grant funds for this planning project. Without the grant funds, implementation of the recommendations of the Pittsburg-Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan will be further delayed.
The Bay Point - Willow Pass Road Transportation Enhancement and Streetscape Plan will ensure future improvements to Willow Pass Road are more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, and safer for children.