This TIFIA loan will replace the current loan that the Build America Bureau provided to SBCTA for the project in April 2019. More specifically, it aims to improve transit access via Omnitrans bus service with connections to Metrolink at San Bernardino and Montclair Transit Centers. The goal of the project is to provide numerous benefits including reduction in peak time congestion and emissions, improved access to transit, safety improvements, job creation, and accommodation of future growth in the area and at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
OMNITRANS FREEWAY EXPRESS DRIVERS
In addition, lanes to assist drivers getting on and off the freeway (auxiliary lanes) will be constructed in selected locations. Eighteen bridges throughout the corridor will either be replaced, widened, or improved to accommodate the widening of the freeway. DOT says.Īccording to SBCTA, the project includes two tolled express lanes in each direction. As part of the primary freight network, I-10 is also an important route for facilitating goods movement between Southern California and the rest of the nation, U.S.
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I-10 is one of three national coast-to-coast interstate routes, providing east-west access from California to Florida. DOT says the loan will help finance construction costs associated with the 10-mile widening of I-10 between the Los Angeles county line and I-15 in San Bernardino County. “It’s great to start off 2018 with positive numbers, reversing a three year trend experienced by Omnitrans and other transit agencies in our region and the nation,” explained spokesperson Wendy Williams.The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) in California is set to receive a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan of up to $225 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the I-10 Corridor Express Lanes project. January 2018 was the first positive month, as compared to the same month in the prior year, since June 2014. Omnitrans total ridership in calendar year 2017 was 11,436,432, a decrease of 5 percent from 2016. Due to customer demand, Omnitrans expanded sbX service hours last September to operate from 5am to 11pm on weekdays. Due to customer demand, the transit agency also will increase hours of service on its Route 290 Freeway Express.
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The sbX bus rapid transit line now transports over 63,000 riders per month on average compared to under 42,000 monthly in the first year, 2014. On September 6th, Omnitrans will begin offering direct bus service to Ontario International Airport (ONT), via Route 80 making stops at both passenger terminals. Two additional round trips will be added to Route 208 in May. Omnitrans freeway express routes include Route 215 connecting San Bernardino and Riverside via the 215 and 91 Freeways, Route 290, operating on the 10 Freeway with stops in San Bernardino, Colton, Ontario and Montclair, and Route 208 which connects Yucaipa, Redlands and San Bernardino via the 10 Freeway.
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The transit hub serves over 5,000 passengers a day making connections on bus routes operated by Omnitrans, Victor Valley Transit Authority, Mountain Transit, Pass Transit, and Riverside Transit Agency. In December, the Metrolink extension to serve the downtown San Bernardino Transit Center improved regional multi-modal connectivity. In the past year, Omnitrans has added one new freeway express route, implemented 15-minute service to passenger terminals at Ontario International Airport, expanded operating hours on sbX and implemented a mobile fare payment option. “We are pleased that Omnitrans’ efforts to attract new riders with express service, streamlined routes, improved regional connections, and mobile fares are beginning to pay off,” said Omnitrans Board Chair and Loma Linda Council Member Ron Dailey. Bus routes operating in the western San Bernardino Valley posted gains which averaged 6.2 percent. In all, 22 of Omnitrans’ 35 bus routes carried more passengers than a year ago. Growth was led by increased use of freeway express routes, up 14.2 percent, and the sbX bus rapid transit line, up 4.5 percent. Omnitrans posted its first system-wide ridership gain in over three years when passenger boardings in January 2018 were 1.7 percent higher than January 2017.