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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

April 12, 2002

Advisors plan STA's billion dollar future

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But Solano Transportation Authority needs to have a list of projects before the tax goes on the ballot. It is forming an advisory group with more than 50 people to help out. That group includes representatives from schools, cities, the county, environmental groups, unions, fire departments, the California Highway Patrol, teachers, Travis Air Force Base and other interests. "We tried to keep the committee as broad as possible," STA Executive Director Daryl Halls said.

Certainly the list will include fixing the interstates 80 and 680 interchange. Residents have made it clear in a survey they consider this the county's number one traffic problem. "This is not rocket science," said Suisun City Mayor Jim Spering, an STA board member. Fixing the interchange could cost from $750 million to more than $1 billion.

But all of that money won't come from the sales tax. Solano County will get state money and will use its local money as a match for federal money. Spering said 20 percent to 30 percent of the interchange costs might need to come locally. That leaves lots of sales tax money for other projects, and various groups have ideas of how to spend it. Don't use all the money on roads, the Greenbelt Alliance, Orderly Growth Committee and Bay Area Transportation Land Use Commission are urging.They want money for the Vallejo ferry, better train service, express bus service and transit for the elderly and disabled. They want money to encourage such things as cities adopting voter-approved growth boundaries and bringing jobs to existing town centers. "This transportation sales tax is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand Solano's transportation choices," said Natalie DuMont of the Greenbelt Alliance. She is on the citizens committee.

Fairfield's business community has expressed concern about the traffic-snarled roads. Businesses need to move goods and get their services and people to customers. That can be a challenge when Highway 12 through Jameson Canyon to Napa is packed and vehicles are backing up for miles from the I-80 and I-680 interchange. Looming behind all of this is the need to get two-thirds of the vote to pass the sales tax. The project list has to appeal to the public. The citizens group will meet three or four times through July, Halls said. The list must be ready by the Aug. 9 deadline to put the sales tax on the ballot.

The first meeting of the citizens advisory group is 12:30 p.m. on April 29 at the Travis Federal Credit Union, One Travis Way in Vacaville.

Barry Eberling can be contacted at beberling@dailyrepublic.net.

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