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Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will place a general obligation property tax bond measure on the November ballot in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties seeking $980 million to protect its system against earthquakes.

BART would use the funds to reinforce its Transbay Tube, stations and elevated tracks. The estimated annual tax rate would be about $7 per $100,000 of assessed value over the life of the bond.

There is a 62 percent chance of at least one earthquake registering 6.7 or higher on the Richter Scale striking the bay area by 2032, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

A 2002 BART earthquake safety study found that a powerful earthquake likely would damage many structures, shut down agency operations for more than two years and cost upwards of $15 billion to rebuild.