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Tri-Valley residents have the next month and a half to weigh in during the 50-day public comment period for the Valley Link transit project’s draft environmental impact report recently released by the Tri-Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority.
Stakeholders can review and give feedback to the Rail Authority, which is acting as the lead agency for the EIR, through Jan. 21 on the state-mandated document containing findings on potential environmental impacts related to the project.
In a statement, Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who also chairs the Rail Authority Board of Directors, called the document’s release an “important milestone.”
“The release of the draft environmental document for the Valley Link project takes us one step closer to providing congestion relief in one of the most difficult mega-commute corridors in the nation,” Haggerty said.
“The Valley Link project will link our Alameda County workforce to affordable housing, provide opportunities for compact transit-oriented development and will have a significant impact on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.
Proposed as a new transit connection between Alameda and San Joaquin counties, the Valley Link project would add seven new passenger rail service stations along a 42-mile corridor between the Dublin-Pleasanton BART Station and the planned Altamont Corridor Express North Lathrop Station.
Several existing transportation corridors would be used including nearly 12 miles along Interstate 580 in the Tri-Valley, the Alameda County Transportation Corridor right-of-way through the Altamont Pass for 14.5 miles, and just over 16 miles of the Union Pacific Railroad Corridor in San Joaquin County.
The Rail Authority currently has three open house meetings scheduled, which will include a public presentation and discussion about the draft EIR.
Due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, all three events will be held online, where officials will answer general questions about the Valley Link project. However, officials told the Weekly that “there are no COVID-related changes to the project itself in the newly released draft EIR.”
The online open house meeting dates and times are: next Saturday (Dec. 12) from 9-10:30 a.m., Dec. 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Dec. 17 from 5-6:30 p.m.
For information about how to join the upcoming online open house meetings, visit www.valleylinkrail.com/environmental-ceqa.
Officials said comments and responses to the Valley Link project draft EIR are “encouraged and will be accepted until 5:00 PM on January 21, 2021.”
Residents may send their comments to drafteircomments@valleylinkrail.com (be sure to include “Valley Link DEIR” in the subject heading, or via mail to:
Tri-Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority
Attn: Valley Link Draft EIR
1362 Rutan Court, Suite 100
Livermore, CA 94551
The story provides some high level info but lacks some detail
Is there a map available that actually shows what and where all the proposed transit links would be in this proposal? Providing better transportation to and from areas where there is more open land for development sounds like a good idea if it does not replace one transportation problem with another.