The purpose of the project is to provide high-quality transit service by leveraging a dedicated guideway located parallel to highly congested segments of state route 1 (SR 1) to improve mobility for…

The Monterey-Salinas Transit District received a $98,441,898 Capital Investment Grant from the Federal Transit Administration (CFDA 20.500 - Federal Transit Capital Investment Grants) on January 13, 2025 to implement the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The purpose of the project is to provide high-quality transit service by leveraging a dedicated guideway parallel to congested State Route 1 to improve mobility, travel time, and transit reliability for existing and new transit riders along the 19.5-mile corridor. Key project activities include constructing 6.2 miles of exclusive bus-only alignment, building 29 stations with a 165-space park-and-ride facility, and implementing related bikeway, pedestrian, and transit signal priority improvements. The project aims to enhance multimodal connectivity, reduce environmental impacts, and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors in the cities of Marina, Monterey, Salinas, Sand City, and Seaside. The funding will support the second phase of a countywide BRT network aligned with regional development goals.

Activities

The surf! Busway and BRT project will travel a total of approximately 19.5 miles serving 29 stations with 6.2-miles on exclusive bus-only alignment and the remainder (13.3 miles) in mixed traffic. Service will operate between the existing salinas transit center in downtown salinas and the existing monterey transit plaza in downtown monterey via the cities of marina seaside and sand city. The project includes significant construction on the 6.2-mile exclusive section between monterey and marina with three new stations including a 165-space park-and-ride station at 5TH street in marina. 4.8 miles of the project will utilize the existing right-of-way of the monterey branch line a defunct rail line owned by transportation agency for monterey county (tamc). In addition the project includes related bikeway and pedestrian improvements adjacent to the BRT route branding upgrades at existing transit facilities outside the exclusive section and transit signal priority (TSP) at key intersections along the corridor. No vehicles will be purchased directly as part of this project; instead vehicles already being acquired separately as part of msts ongoing effort to replace and convert to a fully zero-emission fleet will be utilized.

Expected outcomes

The project is expected to have the following outcomes:-surf! Offers to improve travel time reliability with the use of an exclusive separated busway-surf! Will increase service frequency from 30 minutes to 15 minutes (weekday peak periods) and from 60 minutes to 15 minutes (weekday non-peak periods).-6.2 miles of new alignment between marina and sand city of which 4.8 miles are exclusive lanes along the existing monterey branch line right-of-way a defunct rail corridor owned by the transportation agency for monterey county (tamc)-upgrades to amenities at high-ridership bus stops served by the BRT-implementation of a transit signal priority (TSP) system at signalized intersections on either side of the busway-development of a new transit station in marina; and -related bikeway and pedestrian improvements in the vicinity of the busway

Intended beneficiaries

The surf! Busway and BRT project will improve travel time and transit reliability for existing and new transit riders along the corridor improve multimodal connections and overall mobility reduce environmental impacts and improve the quality of life for those who live and work in the cities of marina monterey salinas sand city and seaside. The project will serve an existing transit-dependent ridership market and provide a travel alternative paralleling SR 1 for coastal commuters. The project also represents the second phase of a countywide BRT network that is aligned with regional development goals and is expected to improve the economic and social links to major activity centers in the region.