Along with Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc., the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) recently announced an exciting partnership with the City of Concord and the United States Navy to test self-driving cars at the Concord Naval Weapons Station. With paved, city-like roadway grids, the Concord Naval Weapons Station is an ideal site for testing these vehicles and transportation technology in an urban-like environment. With 2,100 acres and 19.6 miles of paved roadway, it is now the largest secure test bed site in the United States.

While we are thrilled that Mercedes-Benz will be developing and testing their autonomous car technology in our backyard, we also look forward to using this partnership as a launching pad for our broader efforts to make Contra Costa a hub for transportation innovation and related jobs. In the years ahead, we hope to leverage our designation as a test-bed partner to support the development of additional cutting-edge transportation technologies in Contra Costa.

To learn more about our new partnership with Mercedes-Benz, check out our recent press release.

On Friday, October 24 at 10:30am, in an event open to the public, CCTA and Caltrans will celebrate the completion of the Sand Creek Interchange project in Brentwood, including the opening of a second highway bridge over Sand Creek Road. And all-day on Saturday, October 25, shoppers can enjoy discounts of 10% or more at participating stores and restaurants in the Streets of Brentwood Shopping Center in commemoration of the interchange improvements.

The completion of this project brings much needed congestion relief to eastern Contra Costa County. In August 2013, a new eastbound bridge over Sand Creek Road and two new eastbound lanes to traffic were opened to traffic.  CCTA was able to fund a second, westbound highway bridge as part of this project with cost savings realized on this construction contract and a $5 million contribution of Measure J funds.

The entire Sand Creek Interchange project includes expanding the highway from two to four lanes (two in each direction) from Lone Tree Way to Sand Creek Road, the construction of the Sand Creek Road Interchange, and the inclusion of a median wide enough to accommodate mass transit in the future (eBART). The project is part of the overall Highway 4 Corridor projects, totaling over $1.3 billion, which will greatly improve transit accessibility for the region, help reduce air pollution, and enhance the quality of life for the more than 250,000 residents of eastern Contra Costa County.
 

To learn more about the Sand Creek Road Interchange project, click here.

Parking in Martinez just got a whole lot easier! CCTA is excited to partner with the City of Martinez and Streetline to bring smarter parking resources to drivers using the Pacheco Transit Hub to meet up and carpool. With the implementation of Parker technology at this lot, you can access real-time parking information and know if there’s a spot waiting for you before you arrive! 

More details on this smart technology can be found at theparkerapp.com. Once there, you also can find information regarding how to download the app for your iPhone or Android device.

In collaboration with Contra Costa municipalities and local agencies, and with input from the public, CCTA has been developing Contra Costa's Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP).  The CTP outlines our collective, 25-year vision for transportation in our County, and it establishes goals, strategies, projects, and other actions that will help make that vision a reality.

As part of the CTP process, CCTA would like to know what transportation issues you think are important so we can prioritize where to spend valuable time and resources. You can take part in the planning process and share your ideas for new transportation projects and programs in Contra Costa today, through our online participation tool, click here.

The public comment period for the CTP ends on November 3, 2014.