Due to open to westbound traffic in 2012 and eastbound motorists in 2013, the new bridge connecting Yerba Buena Island and Oakland is designed to withstand just about anything scientists have imagined. High-strength bolts make the structure much safer during an earthquake, which is why all the rivets in the western span of the bridge were replaced with such bolts when it was retrofitted four years ago. CC Times 3/26/08
Motorists whose commute includes the eastbound snake-dance through the Bay Bridge western approach detour, take heart: The project is not only on schedule, but seven months early. By the middle of next month, Caltrans expects to open the new double-deck main approach structure to traffic, eliminating the S-curve that has bedeviled eastbound motorists for the last year. SJ Mercury 3/26/08
As struggling airlines add extra-luggage fees and travelers worry about growing security restrictions, services like Luggage Forward and Luggage Free have emerged as ways to bypass the hassles of checking bags. While typically seen as a luxury, more Americans are using such options for run-of-the-mill trips. Others are simply mailing bags themselves, using the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx or UPS. SJ Mercury 2/36/08
The California Air Resources Board, under pressure to meet the state's ambitious goals to fight smog and global warming, on Thursday will consider relaxing rules on automakers to produce vehicles that release no air pollution and instead encourage them to make more low-emissions vehicles. SF Chronicle 3/26/08
San Francisco bicyclists would be able to ride on 34 miles of new bike lanes - routes that would, in some cases, mean a loss of curbside automobile parking and traffic lanes, under a plan being circulated by city officials. The plan would nearly double the city's existing network of bike lanes, which cover 44 miles of city streets. SF Chronicle 3/26/08
The first steps towards bullet trains that would connect Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego could begin if voters approve a $10 billion transportation bond proposed for the November ballot, rail advocates said Monday. Activists from the consumer group CALPIRG rallied outside City Hall Monday in support of a bond measure they hope would jump start a project that has been in the planning stages for decades. KCBS 3/25/08
About 50 college students from throughout California gathered with city and state officials on the steps of San Francisco City Hall Monday to build momentum and support for a statewide electric high-speed train system. Quentin Kopp, chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, said there has been a steady progression toward implementing high-speed trains since 1996, when the authority was established. NBC11 3/24/08 Schedule
Democratic lawmakers have agreed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's request to include public-private partnerships for a high-speed rail. Supporters of the high-speed "bullet" train are hoping the changes will ensure that a $10 billion bond measure doesn't get delayed a third time – which some fear would jeopardize the entire project. Under a compromise bill, Assembly Bill 3034 would modify a measure already on the November ballot to encourage private investment, whether through regional transportation authorities, Wall Street investment firms, or a combination of both. Sacramento Bee 3/22/08
Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor commissioners Monday approved a plan to subsidize low-sulfur fuel to ships traveling close to the two ports or while docked. The program aims to improve air quality by reducing toxic ship emissions. At a joint meeting in Wilmington, the harbor commissioners approved the incentive program aimed at accelerating cargo vessel operators' use of the cleaner-burning fuel for one year to ships transiting within 40 miles of San Pedro Bay and at berth in the port complex. Environmental News Service 3/25/08
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