County supes to vote on Regional Measure 3

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The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution supporting placement of a plan for traffic congestion relief known as Regional Measure 3 on the June 5 ballot.

The measure, known as RM3, aims to increase bridge tolls by $1 in 2019, 2022 and 2025 to fund a set of significant traffic relief and public transit improvement projects throughout the Bay Area, including local projects such as the Dumbarton Bridge corridor improvements, enhancements to the Highway 101/State Route 92 interchange and BART expansion.

Readers can view projects that RM3 would fund by county here.

The measure is a response to an 80-percent increase in traffic congestion in the Bay Area since 2010, according to a Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) report released last fall. It has drawn support from officials locally and regionwide, with unanimous approval from the MTC in January as well as support from top regional urban planners The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Bay Area Council and SPUR.

San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum called his board’s vote on Tuesday “an important recognition of the need for investment in our transportation infrastructure.“

“RM3 will fund improvements to relieve congestion, increase transit capacity, improve safety, and enhance reliability of travel times in the San Mateo community,” Slocum said in a statement.

State Sen. Jerry Hill called the proposed funds vital to ease Peninsula congestion.

“Through major investments in the Dumbarton Corridor, 101 and BART, we can address congestion on our bottle necked and overly congested peninsula,” Hill said.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors’ meeting takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 400 County Center in Redwood City.