You’re in luck – you can plan virtually any trip to, from, and within Contra Costa County and the Bay Area with 511CC’s newly updated Commuter Handbook.

Whether you’re traveling by car, plane, taxi, BART, bike, train, carpool, ferry, bus or otherwise, 511CC will help you find your way.

The handbook contains concise information for commuters, employers, students and seniors as well. A few handy sections are summarized below.

Alternative Fuel Locations

Find a list of all charging stations throughout Contra Costa with their contact information and the charger types each respective station supports.

Taxi Services in Contra Costa County

A list of taxi services divided regionally within Contra Costa – Central, East, Southwest, and West.

Biking in Contra Costa County

How to combine bicycle trips with buses, BART, ferries, trains, and which bridges one can cycle over and which offer shuttles. Free resources for paper and online Bay Area trail maps.

Check out the full handbook (in English or Spanish) here.

Qualified commuter parking expenses will increase up to $240 per month and qualified bicycle commuting reimbursements will remain unchanged at $20 per month in the new year.

By offering pre-tax commute benefits to employees, employers can save on paying FICA payroll taxes  and employees can take advantage of saving on federal withholding and FICA taxes on the amount deducted. Find out more from these third-party commute benefit administrators: Benefit Resource Inc., Clipper Direct, Edenred USA (Commuter Check), TranBen, TransitCenter (TransitChek), and WageWorks.

Image credit: 401K (Flickr)

Oakley Mayor Jim Frazier

At Oakley’s October 25 Council Meeting, Mayor Jim Frazier recognized 511 Contra Costa with a proclamation as the premier source of transportation information to work, school, or around town for all of Contra Costa County.

The Proclamation also recognized 511 Contra Costa for being  instrumental in obtaining funding for the Safe Route to School Project on Oakley Road and Live Oak Avenue (near the Live Oak School) in the City of Oakley.

Read the full Proclamation.

What

Getting Around: Senior Transportation Today and Tomorrow*

Discussion of older driver issues and transportation options available for non-drivers. The discussion will be held by experienced professionals from:

• CHP
• DMV
• Medical Field
• Senior Transportation Providers

When

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

• Check-in: 8:30 AM
• Summit: 9:00 AM – Noon

Where

Gateway Clubhouse (Fireside Room) in Rossmoor
1001 Golden Rain Rd. Walnut Creek, CA 94595

Who Should Attend

Older drivers, seniors seeking alternatives to driving, their families, relatives and friends from all over Contra Costa County.

Contact/More Information

• Seating is limited, so call early!
• (925) 602-4172
• Click to view the flyer (PDF | JPG)
• 511 Contra Costa Seniors page

*Presented by The Senior Mobility Action Council (SMAC)

Photo by Udit Kulshrestha

Then today is the day you’ve been waiting for: the day we kick off our “This is How We Roll” video contest.

Here’s how it works:

Shoot a video that you feel best depicts your biking, busing, BARTing, carpooling, or vanpooling experience and upload it to Youtube. Submit your entry by posting a comment to this 511CC blog post, and include:

• The URL to your video on YouTube
• How should we get in touch with you (like email).

Submissions will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Monday, Sept. 12.

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, we’ll post the three finalists’ videos here on the blog and readers will vote for their favorite. The winning contributor will win a $100 Amazon gift card and will be entered as one of three finalists for the Grand Prize, a Sony HDR-XR150 120 GB Handycam Camcorder.

A couple of reminders:

• Be sure to fill out all the required boxes in the comments field of this post. None of your personal information (aside from your name) will be published, but we need to be able to reach you in the event that you are a finalist or a winner
• Any video that depicts a driver videotaping while driving will be automatically disqualified. Be safe and obey the rules of the road.
• Be sure to allow embedding when you post your video to Youtube. We’ll use that embed code when we put the finalists’ videos up on the blog for voting.

Lights, camera … and action. Let’s show the world how we roll!

Please note this schedule is subject to change based on weather, field conditions, and construction progress.

Northbound 680 from Alcosta Blvd. to Diablo Road

• Drainage work is ongoing and will continue weekdays for several weeks.
• Traffic striping realignment is will begin August 29 and will continue Monday through Saturday for several nights. Nighttime closures will be required.
• Ramp striping will begin August 29 and will continue Monday through Saturday for several nights. Nighttime closures will be required.

Upcoming work (September-October): Drainage work. Remove and install Metal Beam Guard Rail. Place permanent delineation, signs, and markers. Permanent erosion control. Sawcut and place joint seals. Install Weigh-in-Motion. Install weed barrier.

Southbound 680 from Diablo Road to Alcosta Blvd.

• Shoulder excavation will begin August 29 and will continue weekdays for several days.

Upcoming work (September-October): Ramp paving and repair work. Drainage repair. Remove and install Metal Beam Guard Rail. Place permanent delineation, signs, and markers. Permanent erosion control. Sawcut and place joint seals. Install Weigh-in-Motion. Install weed barrier.

Northbound 680 from Diablo Road to Rudgear Rd.

• Rubberized asphalt on mainline to start on August 23 and will continue Monday through Saturday nights for several weeks. Nighttime closures will be required.
• Drainage work to begin August 29 and will continue Monday through Saturday nights for several weeks.
• Mainline traffic loop detector installation to begin August 29 and will continue Monday through Saturday nights for several weeks. Nighttime closures will be required.
• Anchor block installation to begin August 29 and will continue weekdays for several days and Monday through Saturday for several nights.
• Metal beam guardrail installation to begin August 29 and will continue Monday through Saturday for several nights. Nighttime closures will be required

Upcoming work (September-October): Continue paving mainline and ramps as described above. Drainage work. Electrical work, including continuation of loop detector installation. Remove and install Metal Beam Guard Rail. Install weed barrier. Place shoulder backing. Place permanent delineation, signs, and markers.

Southbound 680 from Rudgear Rd. to Diablo Rd.

• Concrete barrier work at shoulder began on August 22 and will continue Monday through Saturday nights for several weeks. Nighttime closures will be required.
• Conform grinding on mainline and ramps to begin August 31 and will continue Monday through Saturday for several nights. Nighttime closures will be required.
• Rubberized asphalt on mainline to start on September 6 and will continue Monday through Saturday nights for several weeks. Nighttime closures will be required.

Upcoming work (September-October): Continue paving mainline and ramps as described above. Drainage work. Electrical work, including continuation of loop detector installation. Remove and install Metal Beam Guard Rail.

Bridge work at La Gonda, Livorna, and Rudgear (Northbound and Southbound)

• La Gonda: At this time, no work scheduled through September 11.
• Livorna: At this time, no work scheduled through September 11.
• Rudgear: At this time, no work scheduled through September 11.

Upcoming work (September-October): Clean and install joint seals. Prep and treat bridge decks. Adjust to finish grade.

Click here to download the PDF from dot.ca.gov

Westbound (in Oakland)

Westbound Caldecott Lane Off-Ramp:

• Closed from 8 PM on Tuesday, 8/30 – 6 AM on Wednesday, 8/31.
• Closed from 8 PM on Wednesday, 8/31 – 6 AM on Thursday, 9/1.

Vehicles will be detoured to the State Route 13 connector ramp.

Westbound Closures in Contra Costa County (August 30 – 31 & August 31 – Sept. 1)

Fish Ranch Road On-Ramp:

• Closed from 9 PM on Tuesday, 8/30 – 5 AM on Wednesday, 8/31
• Closed from 9 PM on Wednesday, 8/31 – 5 AM on Thursday, 9/1.

Vehicles will be detoured to eastbound State Route 24 and take the Wilder Ranch exit. Vehicles will access 24 westbound at Wilder Ranch.

Bore #3 (Westbound from Contra Costa):

• Closed from 10 PM Tuesday, 8/30 – 4 AM on Wednesday, 8/31
• Closed from 10 PM Wednesday, 8/31 – 4 AM on Thursday, 9/1

For more information on the upcoming ramp closure, visit www.caldecott-tunnel.org

Upcoming Evening Ramp Closures

Below is the schedule of a Monday evening – Tuesday morning closure (August 29 – 30) and tentative closure for Tuesday evening – Wednesday morning (August 30 – 31). These closures are associated with work on the Caldecott Fourth Bore Project.

Westbound Closures (in Oakland)

Westbound Caldecott Lane Off-Ramp:

• Between the hours of 8 p.m. on Monday, August 29 and 6 a.m. Tuesday, August 30
• Tentatively: Tuesday evening, August 30 until Wednesday morning, August 31.

Vehicles will be detoured to the State Route 13 connector ramp.

Westbound Closures (in Contra Costa County) (August 29 – 30)

Fish Ranch Road On-Ramp:

• Between the hours of 9 p.m. on Monday, August 29 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, August 30
• Tentatively: Tuesday evening, August 30 until Wednesday morning, August 31.

Bore #3 (Westbound from Contra Costa):

• Closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on the following days: Monday, August 29; Tuesday, August 30; Wednesday, August 31.
• Tentatively: Tuesday evening, August 30 until Wednesday morning, August 31.

To soothe your commute, Wheels is offering kids FREE rides during the second and third week of school, August 19 through September 9.

The program, in its 11th year, introduces young riders to their local transportation system and provides them with a convenient, eco-friendly way to get to school and to after school activities. Free rides will be available to all middle and high school students on all fixed route and school tripper route service 1.

Students simply need to show the bus driver their valid school issued identification card to ride the bus for free during the promotion. Wheels’ school tripper service focuses on bringing students to and from school from the surrounding neighborhoods. Schedules will be available online prior to the start of the school year.

“We are pleased to offer the Try Transit program again this year for middle and high-school students in the Tri-Valley. It gives students an opportunity to try out bus transit on school days and helps them to do their part to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. And it also helps to develop future transit users,” said Supervisor Scott Haggerty, former Chair of the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) which operates the WHEELS bus service.

For more information, call 925-455-7500, visit the Wheels customer service center at 2500 Railroad Ave. in Livermore, or visit their website. Good luck at school!

Concord, Calif. – Beginning next Monday, August 22nd the County Connection’s Free Ride trolley schedule will be adjusted to run later on Monday-Friday evenings. The trolley runs between the Walnut Creek BART station, the downtown shopping district, and the Broadway Plaza. And, as the name implies – it’s free to the riders.

Service will be less frequent in the early morning hours before the shops open when there are fewer riders. Then, starting at 8:25 AM and continuing until 6:55 PM, the trolley will run every 15 minutes. There will be four trips after 6:55, which will run on 35 minute intervals. The last trolley will leave Walnut Creek BART at 9:15 PM, and the last trolley will leave the fountain in Broadway Plaza at 9:30 PM.

County Connection Board Member and Walnut Creek Mayor Pro Tem Bob Simmons comments:

This ‘feathering’ of service hours allows the City to gain the four evening trips without additional cost. This gives shoppers, employees, diners and residents extra time to enjoy all that downtown Walnut Creek has to offer. I wish to thank County Connection and our City staff for coming up with such a creative approach to extend this important service without additional cost.

In addition to the Walnut Creek Free Ride Trolley, County Connection provides fixed route and paratransit service throughout central Contra Costa County. For information on its other transit services, please call County Connection Customer Service 676-7500 or visit cccta.org.