Sign up for email news and updates about BART's Earthquake Safety Program.
Download the BART Earthquake Safety Program General Presentation.
Major Earthquake Safety Program Construction in Progress.
View the Construction Updates Page.
Notice of Availability, Public Meeting and Construction Impacts Survey
for the Fremont Line Operability Retrofit Project
View the Environmental Review Page.
BART would like your input on proposed retrofit improvements along portions of the Fremont Line. Join us for a project overview and to share your opinions.
Meetings will be held on May 21, May 22 and May 23.
View the News Page.
A Vital Transportation System
BART is one of the Bay Area's most vital transportation links. BART carries about 360,000 travelers every day; and during the peak of the commute across the San Francisco Bay, BART carries as many travelers as the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The BART system represents a public investment currently valued at nearly $15 billion, with immeasurable importance to the local and regional economy.
Major Earthquakes Predicted
BART's success in maintaining continuous service directly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake reconfirmed the system's importance as a transportation "lifeline." However, Loma Prieta may not be the biggest test of BART's ability to withstand seismic impact. A U.S. Geological Survey statistical analysis has predicted a high probability of one or more major earthquakes hitting the Bay Area within the next 30 years. Unlike Loma Prieta, which was centered more than 50 miles south of San Francisco, future earthquakes could be close to or directly under the BART system.
Program Purpose and Benefits
Because of the likelihood BART will be subject to a major earthquake, and to safeguard the public's significant investment in the system, BART has initiated the Earthquake Safety Program. The program will upgrade vulnerable portions of the original BART system with the highest traffic not only to improve life safety but also to ensure the return to operation shortly after a major earthquake. The upgrades will be accomplished by using the latest seismic standards to improve the structural integrity of BART facilities.
Vulnerability Study
One of the first and most critical undertakings of the Earthquake Safety Program was a systemwide Vulnerability Study, an assessment of how system components would perform during a major earthquake.
System Elements
The Earthquake Safety Program addresses the original BART system completed between 1972 and 1976, with a service area spanning three counties-Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco. System extensions, built mostly during the 1990s, employed more stringent and up-to-date seismic criteria than the original system, and thus do not require upgrades. The original BART system includes the following elements:
-
74 miles of track
-
34 stations (11 elevated, 14 subway and 9 at-grade)
-
The Transbay Tube
-
The Berkeley Hills Tunnel
-
Train maintenance yards
-
Terminal, operations and administration facilities
-
Power, mechanical, train control and communications equipment
|
|
|
Bay Area faults in the BART service area |
Duration and Funding
The estimated duration for design and construction of the program is 10 years. The total project budget for the Earthquake Safety Program is $1.2 billion (in 2004 dollars). The various funding sources are:
-
$134 million from California Department of Transportation Local Seismic Safety Retrofit Program
-
$93 million from Regional Measure 2 (RM2)
-
$11.5 million from Transportation Congestion Relief Program (TCRP)
-
$3 million from FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program
-
$980 million from General Obligation Bonds (Regional Measure AA)
Citizens' Oversight Committee
On November 2, 2004, Bay Area voters passed Regional Measure AA, which authorized BART to issue bonds for $980 million to make earthquake safety improvements to BART facilities in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. The measure also required BART to establish a Citizens’ Oversight Committee to verify that bond revenues are spent as promised.
Lake Merritt Administration (LMA) Dismantling Project
This project involved the partial dismantling of the LMA building, which was determined to be at-risk in the event of a large magnitude earthquake. It also included reconfiguration of stairs, elevators and certain facilities housed in the building. Following the dismantling and removal of the LMA building, the plaza will be restored to a safe and stable condition.
Parking Structures
This project includes seismic retrofits of parking structures at six stations: Concord, Daly City, El Cerrito del Norte, Hayward, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek.
Last Updated: May 2, 2012
