Evaluating the Impact of the Sudden Collapse of Major Freeway Connectors on Rapid Transit and Adjacent Freeway Systems: San Francisco Bay Area Case Study

Abstract

The early Sunday morning collapse of two sections of the multi-level freeway interchange, known as the MacArthur Maze, resulted in a month-long closure of the interchange, which connects several major California cities: San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. This paper evaluates the impacts of this unplanned, extended closure on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the remaining freeway system based on empirical data and reports on the findings. Among the findings were that BART was instrumental in keeping commuters moving during the freeway repair. In addition, ridership counts at some stations remained significantly elevated after the repairs were completed. This may be due to the fact that many of the riders using those BART stations had not previously traveled via transit and, having discovered its convenience and benefits during the repair phase, continued to use BART even after the repairs. The impact of the closure on BART demand was not uniform across the stations.

Keywords

• unplanned freeway closure
• mode shift
• emergency response
• transit ridership