S.M.A.R.T. going ahead with extension into Sonoma wine country
- Thread starter BCL
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That's good news. I didn't know tax money could come from Bay Area bridge tolls. I find that a little disturbing. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Santa Rosa to the Windsor connection, and then beyond to Healdsburg. That will provide a nice jumping off place for wine country travel. By the way, both Alaska Airlines and American Airlines fly into the Charles Schultz airport in Santa Rosa. Only problem, the SMART depot at the airport is about a mile from the airport, so a shuttle bus or cab is required.
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Bridge tolls have for decades gone into other transit projects in the bay area.
It will be nice to have happen if they can pull together the other funding. Healdsburg to Willits is still up in the air. I wish we'd get that confirmed and plan on extending farther north.
Did you mean Healdsburg to Cloverdale? I've not heard of any plan to continue on to Willits (in Mendocino County), but that would be great if they did. It would be a way to link up with the Skunk Train, Willits to Fort Bragg. Even better, let SMART go all the way to Eureka as did the Northwestern Pacific RR in the old days.
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It'd be expensive to reach Eureka, but on the other hand reuniting California with those northern counties might be considered a worthwhile effort.
In the meantime, this souvenir Pacific Greyhound Lines dash card might be inspirational, if not useful:
It'd be expensive to reach Eureka, but on the other hand reuniting California with those northern counties might be considered a worthwhile effort.
In the meantime, this souvenir Pacific Greyhound Lines dash card might be inspirational, if not useful:
IIRC, bridge tolls entered transit uses when the GG Bridge board rejected BART access. That put them into the position of having to offer an alternative. The Marin ferries and the replacement of PGL suburban buses with Golden Gate Transit evolved from that decision.
While smart doesn't own the ROW it still exists and theres more than enough space to rail and trail the line between Cloverdale and Willits. Mendocino county isn't apart of smart and so would need to join and likely pass the same funding source.
I read a cost estimate that put really fixing the Eel river canyon section was over 800m back in the early 2000s. It would now be a multi billion dollar project to try and bring the line back. Its just an absolute slide fest so a combination of new tunnels, retaining walls and mudslide sheds is going to be needed.
