Transporation Daily News 11/28

Contra Costa County officials slammed Coast Guard leaders and others coordinating the Cosco Busan oil spill response Tuesday, saying they were slow to clean up East Bay shorelines and share critical information. Local hazardous materials crews conducted cleaning themselves -- disposing of more than 4,000 pounds of oil and contaminated debris – after crews failed to arrive before Nov. 12. Contra Costa Times 11/28/07

 

Ignoring a warning from one of the state's most powerful politicians, the California Transportation Commission approved a funding formula Tuesday that would allocate as much as $840 million to improve freight transportation corridors serving the Bay Area and Northern California. State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, urged the panel to allow more money for Southern California in its funding formula for the $2 billion Trade Corridors Improvement Fund. Voters approved the fund a year ago as part of the $20 billion Proposition 1B bond measure.Meeting Nunez's demand would have left a smaller percentage for Northern California. Contra Costa Times 11/28/07

 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday signaled a controversial push to engage private companies in the building and management of state and local public works projects, proposing a strategy widely employed in Canada, Europe and elsewhere. In such partnerships, which could take a variety of forms, private companies could finance, build and manage roads, schools, waste-water treatment plants, ports, levees, hospitals and other projects. The companies would rent the facilities to the government or collect fees from users. LA Times 11/28/07

 

While the population of San Francisco and the Bay Area is growing, it's nothing compared with the boom occurring in the surrounding rural areas, according to a report released Tuesday.Called the Northern California megaregion, it's the result of a booming population, the rising cost of living, and a housing shortage in urban areas like San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. Planners say the growth could lead to more traffic, a lack of resources and more pollution. SF Examiner 11/28/07