Frequently Asked Questions

What is the BART to Livermore Program EIR?

On Thursday, November 5, BART released its Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (DPEIR) for an extension between the Dublin/Pleasanton Station and the City of Livermore. The goal of extending BART to Livermore is to increase mobility to, from, and through the Tri-Valley region. As added benefits, a new station in Livermore would reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions; improve community livability and reduce congestion on the I-580 corridor. The DPEIR evaluates alignment options, environmental impacts and mitigation measures for extending BART to Livermore. BART is seeking public comment on the Livermore extension and its proposed alignments.

The alignment alternatives under consideration are:

• Alternative 1, Greenville East - This alternative would originate at the existing Dublin/Pleasanton Station, follow the median of I 580, include an intermediate station at Isabel/I 580, and continue to a terminus at the proposed Greenville East Station at Greenville Road, just south of I 580.
• Alternative 1a, Downtown Greenville East via UPRR - This alternative would originate at the existing Dublin/Pleasanton Station and follow the median of I 580, then diverge southeasterly along El Charro Road, parallel the existing UPRR tracks, and include an intermediate station at Downtown Livermore before heading northeast to a terminus at the proposed Greenville East Station.
• Alternative 1b, Downtown Greenville East via SPRR - This alternative would share those elements described above for Alternative 1a, except that the segment between the proposed Downtown Livermore Station and a terminus at Greenville East would run parallel to an existing freight spur line previously operated by SPRR. The departure from the UPRR right of way east of downtown would occur near the intersection of Mines Road.
• Alternative 2, Las Positas - This alternative would originate at the existing Dublin/Pleasanton Station in the median of I 580, include an intermediate station at Isabel/I 580, then diverge southeasterly along Las Positas Road, toward central Livermore, to the UPRR right of way, at which point the alignment would run parallel to the existing UPRR tracks to a terminus station at Vasco Road.
• Alternative 2a, Downtown Vasco - This alternative would be identical to Alternatives 1a and 1b between the existing end of track at the Dublin/Pleasanton Station and the proposed Downtown Livermore Station. Alternative 2a would include a Downtown Livermore Station and a terminus station at the Vasco Road Station.
• Alternative 3, Portola - This alternative would originate at the existing Dublin/Pleasanton Station in the median of I 580, include an intermediate station at Isabel/I 580, then diverge from the I 580 corridor at Airway Boulevard (just west of the existing Portola interchange), transition to Portola and Junction Avenues to a terminus station adjacent to the existing ACE station in Downtown Livermore.
• Alternative 3a, Railroad - This alternative would have an alignment identical to Alternatives 1a, 1b, and 2a in the median of I 580 and then along El Charro Road, then parallel to the UPRR tracks, include an intermediate station at the intersection of Isabel Avenue (SR 84) and Stanley Boulevard, and terminate adjacent to the existing Livermore ACE Station.
• Alternative 4, Isabel/I 580 - This single-station alternative would originate at the existing Dublin/Pleasanton Station and follow the median of I 580 to a terminus station immediately east of the planned Isabel Avenue overpass/interchange.
• Alternative 5, Quarry - This single-station alternative would originate at the existing Dublin/Pleasanton Station and follow the median of I 580, diverging from the I 580 corridor at El Charro Road, then proceed southeasterly to the UPRR, at which point the alternative would travel parallel to the UPRR tracks to a terminus station west of the Isabel Avenue (SR-84) and Stanley Boulevard intersection.
  

The proposed stations, whether at Greenville Road/I-580, Vasco Road ACE Station, Downtown Livermore and Isabel Avenue/Stanley Boulevard, would provide a convenient connection to the existing Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) commuter rail service or potential High Speed Rail alignments through Altamont Pass. An intermediate or terminus station at Isabel Avenue/I-580 is also being considered. BART is also considering building a maintenance yard.

The purpose of the Program EIR is to highlight the differences among the nine alternatives and to allow BART, after considering comments from local public agencies and the public, to select a preferred alignment alternative as a focus for more detailed engineering efforts, environmental review and right of way preservation. Differences in freeway congestion, local circulation, transit connections in the Tri Valley, land use and visual compatibility, regional air emissions, and noise exposure are among the environmental comparisons that are presented in the Program EIR to assist with selection of a preferred alternative.

Why is BART considering an extension to Livermore?

The purposes of extending BART to Livermore are to increase mobility to and from, as well as through the Tri-Valley region; to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions; to improve community livability; to reduce congestion on the I-580 corridor; and to create new economic opportunities.

What is a Program EIR?

A Program EIR is a type of “high level” EIR that allows an agency to consider broad policy alternatives and program-wide mitigation measures at an early time, when the agency has greater flexibility to deal with basic issues. Program EIRs may be followed by project-level EIRs or other CEQA documents that evaluate the impacts of specific projects within the program. For example, cities usually prepare Program EIRs to accompany the updating of their General Plans, and evaluate later individual development projects with project-specific EIRs. In the case of the BART-to-Livermore extension, BART has prepared a Draft Program EIR to evaluate alignment alternatives on broad level. At a later date, BART intends to prepare a project-level EIR before making the decision whether to construct a project.

The Program EIR will be used to narrow the range of reasonable and feasible alignment alternatives by evaluating the potential environmental impacts and tradeoffs associated with the different routes, in order to identify alignment and station alternatives that may be considered in a future project-specific environmental document. The Program EIR will provide an overview of potential environmental impacts associated with different alignments and station locations which have been proposed, which will allow BART, in consultation with its local partner agencies to refine station choices during subsequent, more detailed planning, and to begin the process of protecting the right-of-way for future development of a transit system.

Are other transit technologies being considered for the Program EIR?

The Draft Program EIR evaluates the alignment alternatives based on the assumption that the heavy rail technology used in the existing BART system would be used for the extension of service to Livermore. Since heavy rail technology generally would have the greatest environmental impacts, it is reasonable to focus on this technology at the programmatic level. Other technologies will be considered at the project level. Once the process of reviewing the alternative BART alignments is complete and a proposed project is identified, a project-level environmental document will be prepared, most likely an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS), which will evaluate a no project scenario as well as alternative transit technologies, potentially including buses, Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains and BART heavy rail.

How does BART to Livermore relate to future upgrades in ACE commuter rail service or future High Speed Rail plans in the Altamont corridor?

Each of the alignments currently under consideration emphasizes interregional rail connectivity. The proposed BART stations would provide convenient transfers to the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) commuter rail service between Stockton and the San Francisco Bay Area. In the future, these stations may also provide for connections to High Speed Rail (HSR), depending on its final alignment between the Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area Regional Rail Plan recently completed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission recommended closing the gap between the existing BART and ACE systems at an intermodal station in Livermore.

How does BART to Livermore relate to the various freeway construction projects that are planned for the I-580 corridor in the Tri-Valley?

The Program EIR is being coordinated with the various High Occupancy Vehicle/Toll (HOV/HOT) lane and freeway enhancement projects planned along I-580 in the Tri-Valley. In fact, the Final Program EIR will be a key input to the right-of-way preservation efforts being planned by Alameda County. BART is working closely with the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA) with respect to this issue. Additional information pertaining to the ACCMA s planned improvements to the I-580 freeway corridor in the Tri-Valley can be found here: www.i580.info.

How is the City of Livermore involved?

For the purposes of the Program EIR, the City of Livermore is a responsible agency under CEQA. BART is working closely with the City of Livermore during the environmental process.

What is the timeline of the Program EIR?

The Draft Program EIR was released for public review and comment On November 5, 2009. The Final Program EIR is expected to be completed in spring/summer 2010. Please feel free to check the BART to Livermore website, www.barttolivermore.org, for updates.

What if my question is not answered here?

We regret that we cannot address every question at this time. If you have any questions or comments on the Draft Program EIR, there are instructions on how or where to comment through this link. If you wish your comments to be considered as part of the Draft Program EIR process, please submit them during the public comment period which runs from November 5, 2009 to December 21, 2009.