From San Mateo County Times: Report sums up Peninsula's high-speed rail concerns

Link: Report sums up Peninsula's high-speed rail concerns - Inside Bay Area

Report sums up Peninsula's high-speed rail concerns
By Mike Rosenberg
San Mateo County Times
Posted: 06/29/2009 06:03:34 PM PDT
Updated: 06/29/2009 06:03:34 PM PDT

State high-speed rail officials released a report Monday that caps a tumultuous public outreach period in which a staggering number of issues were raised over the local section of the proposed bullet train.

The 75-page scoping report summarizes the meetings and extensive comment solicitation that took place from January to April. During that span, some city officials and residents recanted their endorsement of Proposition 1A, the project's $10 billion bond measure that was approved by state voters in November, after learning the potential effect the train could have on their communities.

The report and public outreach that preceded it are required by state law before any real planning work can begin. With the report complete, state officials can start evaluating the controversial issue of rail alignment — whether trains will run on raised tracks, below street level or through a tunnel — and begin planning in earnest, a process that will continue through late 2010.

In all, 955 residents, officials, public agencies and organizations submitted written and verbal comments on the San Francisco-to-San Jose portion of the bullet train project during the four-month span, the report said.

The comments will serve as a "checklist" for planners as they design the local portion of the rail line, said regional manager Dominic Spaethling. All the ideas, comments and concerns raised will be studied during the planning process, he
Advertisement
said.

"(We) got plenty of creative ideas on how the project should be developed, and also things that we should be cognizant of as we move forward with the environmental work," he said.

Oakland-based engineering firm HNTB Corp., which is managing the Peninsula section of the project and compiled the scoping report, divided the comments into 10 sections. One category contains remarks supporting the project, while nine sections summarize various concerns raised over high-speed rail.

Most of the issues mentioned involve environmental protection, funding questions, fear over eminent domain and the rail-alignment options. Other areas of anxiety include the use of alternative technologies, connectivity and coordination with other transportation systems, methods to improve public outreach and general issues with the project description.

Of those showing support for the project, some said it was long overdue, while others approved of specific aspects of high-speed rail. In November, 61 percent of San Mateo County voters approved Prop 1A.

The comments starting pouring in after the rail authority held three public meetings earlier this year, mailed notices to 16,459 properties near the Caltrain tracks and proposed stations, and notified 809 public officials.

In addition to hundreds of residents and dozens of local organizations, representatives from virtually every city on the Peninsula submitted comments. Caltrain, BART, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and state and federal agencies also weighed in.

Engineers say the feedback will be instrumental during their upcoming study of the potential alignment options. That alignment analysis, which is the next phase in the planning process, will begin soon and should be released by late fall, Spaethling said. Officials then will seek more public comments on that plan.

Reach Mike Rosenberg at mike.rosenberg@bayareanewsgroup.com.