Ten Billion Dollar Tally for Fixing S.F.'s Transportation Infrastructure

"After months of study and discussion, [a 44-member Transportation Task Force] concluded that the city has $10.1 billion in transportation infrastructure needs through 2030 and that the bulk of those needs are in maintaining and improving the core of the existing system, which has been neglected for decades," report Michael Cabanatuan and John Coté. "That means replacing and expanding the city's bus and streetcar fleet, systematically and regularly repairing streets, and dealing with Muni's overcrowding, unreliability and slowness, which riders have complained about for years."

How could the city pay the tab for the improvements? "The Municipal Transportation Agency expects to receive $3.8 billion in revenue over the next 15 years to pay for transportation needs, but that leaves the city $6.3 billion short," they explain. "To close the gap, city leaders should ask voters to take three actions that would raise almost $3 billion and help attract federal, state and regional funds to pay the rest, [Monique Zmuda, deputy city controller and co-chair of the task force] said."