Transit Triumph
RT board turns problems into solutions
By Jeff Harris
January 2024
Mirasol Village is a mixed-income redevelopment housing project in the River District along Richards Boulevard. It’s a project I worked on and supported for all eight years of my City Council term.
Like most projects that use public funding, this one was a challenge. It required numerous grants to reach the finish line. I applaud the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency for its tenacity in obtaining grants over the last 10 years.
The project is largely complete. Residents are moving in. But there’s a problem. The neighborhood has limited mobility options. Only one bus line serves the isolated area with minimal connections.
In 2018, a multi-million dollar Transforming Climate Communities grant was awarded by the state Strategic Growth Council. The money was to substantially fund a new light rail station named Dos Rios. The station would enhance transit options for Mirasol residents.
It was a nice vision and seemed obtainable. The station would take three years to build. I supported the light rail project.
Regional Transit got to work on designs. The cost estimate was $23 million.
After the pandemic, the cost leaped to $43 million. The site is toxic and requires remediation. Tracks need to be straightened and relocated. During construction, Blue Line riders would travel by bus around the construction site at great expense and inconvenience. The project became difficult and expensive.
Due to cost overruns and delays, the Strategic Growth grant money is in jeopardy.
The solution? Quickly find more grant money to build the station. Or create a substitute project that meets mobility goals for Mirasol Village and satisfies climate requirements for the grant.
City Council member Katie Valenzuela and state Sen. Angelique Ashby called a meeting with RT staff and several elected officials to discuss the funding gap. The two politicians attempted to place the entire burden on RT.
Valenzuela and Ashby wanted the transit agency to absorb the $20 million shortfall at the expense of other priority projects. Mayor Darrell Steinberg entered the fray, though the city offered no financial contribution to help solve the shortfall.
Thankfully, the RT board took action to save the project and grant. Members voted to accept an alternative project to revamp bus routes 33 and 11, eventually incorporating zero-emission buses, to address transit needs of Mirasol Village within months, not years.
Residents will get convenient access to the Blue and Green light rail lines and schools in Natomas. The RT board told staff to pursue more grant funding for a Dos Rios station buildout. It’s a great plan.
Post-pandemic RT ridership has rebounded to 90% for buses, but only 60% for light rail. Buses are flexible and adaptable. Light rail is fixed and serves limited corridors.
Adding a new and expensive light rail station with low ridership is not good for RT and its budget. Transit funds are sorely needed for operations, repairs and acquisition of newer vehicles, just to keep the system running.
It’s easy to suspect Valenzuela is politically motivated. She’s in a tough race for re-election. I’m sure she would like to claim she “saved” the Dos Rios station even though she doesn’t represent the River District.
There are times to pursue a project. And there are times when you must be practical and create alternatives. Mobility options for River District residents is the real issue. The alternative adopted by RT is a winner for everyone. Except a politician or two.
Jeff Harris represented District 3 on City Council from 2014 to 2022. He can be reached at cadence@mycci.net. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
