Monterey-Salinas Transit poised to build new bus road

MARINA – Now that the California Coastal Commission has cleared the path for the construction of the SURF! Busway by approving permits that reversed an earlier staff recommendation, Monterey-Salinas Transit is poised to build the new bus road.

When the decision came down at a Coastal Commission hearing in Monterey last week, MST General Manager and CEO Carl Sedoryk said the “win was years in the making” and thanked the “Commission for working with (MST) to make this visionary project a reality.”

“We were happy that we were able to reengage with staff to find a way for the conflict resolution process to work as it’s intended,” said Sedoryk.

This was by far the largest and most important permit, said Sedoryk, but only one of 38 permits from five different jurisdictions which will have to be in hand before the federal government releases the up to $35 million in funding for this project.

The Coastal Commission approval comes with 70 conditions that have to be met, including moving the busway directly over the existing rail tracks.

“We will have to go back and redo our plans,” said Sedoryk.

The Federal Transit Administration wants this to be wrapped up before the end of this administration, said Sedoryk, so there are time constraints to make it happen. Sedoryk added that once they have a grant agreement by the end of December, they’re looking at early 2025 to start construction.

Sedoryk said to expect a groundbreaking ceremony to include those elected officials who have supported the SURF! Busway throughout, including Reps. Jimmy Panetta, and Zoe Lofgren, State Senator John Laird, Assemblymember Dawn Addis, Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew, among many others.

Sedoryk acknowledged the path to Coastal Commission approval was long and arduous.

At its meeting in August, the Coastal Commission was to hear two items pertaining to the Monterey-Salinas Transit’s proposed SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project, a 5-mile, two-lane busway proposed along the abandoned rail corridor parallel to Highway 1 that will integrate with existing Line 20 Salinas-Monterey service, between the cities of Marina and Sand City, but MST requested a postponement after a staff report was published where it recommended denial of both Coastal Development Permits.

In a combined staff report on two related items of the SURF! Busway issued in late July, the California Coastal Commission’s staff recommendation was “substantial issue and denial of both CDPs (Coastal Development Permits).”

During the postponement period, Sedoryk and MST Board Chair Mary Anne Carbone on behalf of the Board of Directors, sent a response letter in late August to the July staff recommendation report where the local agency set out to correct the record “over flawed Coastal Commission review of SURF! Busway Project.” MST said it had “identified 42 omissions, errors and misunderstandings of facts in the Commission staff report of the SURF! Busway Project released last month.”

MST’s letter said it noted most flaws in the staff report fell into three general categories, conflict resolution issues, purpose and need for the SURF! Project and alternatives evaluation.

The SURF! Busway will run between Marina and Sand City with the northern terminus located at MST’s Marina Transit Exchange at Reservation and De Forest roads and the southern terminus located at Contra Costa Street in Sand City. (MST/TAMC/City of Sand City)

In the summary of the new Coastal Commission staff recommendation, it said in part, “Applicant subsequently exercised their right to postpone that hearing, and since then MST and Commission staffs have met regularly to discuss whether an approval was possible via conflict resolution, and if so, whether there were available project modifications that could reduce coastal resource inconsistencies.”

A path forward was agreed upon where it was determined the project “can help promote both rail and bus road development in a consolidated manner mostly atop an already developed/disturbed area as opposed to mostly atop natural dune features.”