The California Transportation Commission (CTC) allocated $830 million at its December meeting to fund a broad range of investments to improve access and safety, provide sustainable projects and help support the infrastructural backbone of the globe’s fifth-largest economy. Guided by Governor Gavin Newsom’s Build More, Faster – For All infrastructure agenda, these transformative projects are making communities safer, cleaner and healthier.
The approved allocations include $249 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and another $306 million via Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
“These investments will help provide the next generation of transportation projects in California, strengthening efforts for bridge maintenance and renovation, increasing safety for people who walk and bike, expanding equitable access and continuing support for the movement of goods and services that fuel the state’s economic engine,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares.
In addition to major undertakings, such as the rehabilitation of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley rail extension in San Jose, the allocation contains funds for local projects, including:
- The Orange Family Street Project in San Diego’s City Heights community will install traffic circles and buffered bike lanes and raise crosswalks to reduce traffic and improve pedestrian safety.
- Nearly 10 miles of new bike lanes in the Wilmington neighborhood near the Port of Los Angeles will also include pedestrian and ADA upgrades, new sidewalks, shade trees and lighting.
- The L.A. River Greenway project will connect East San Fernando Valley with LA Metro’s North Hollywood rail station through a network of pedestrian and bicycle trails.
- The purchase of zero-emission, high-capacity buses to serve residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Other projects in District 2 include:
- $1.17 million (SB 1) for a drainage rehabilitation project on State Route 299 in Shasta County at various locations from just west of Seamans Gulch Road to just west of Fenders Ferry Road.
- $16.3 million (SB 1) for continued emergency restorations stemming from the Park Fire on State Routes 32, 36, 44, 89, and 172 in Tehama, Plumas, and Shasta Counties. Work includes hazard tree removal, guardrail, drainage, and sign repairs, and erosion control.
IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure to improve the sustainability and resiliency of our country’s energy, water, broadband and transportation systems. California has received nearly $62 billion in federal infrastructure funding since its passage. It includes investments to upgrade the state’s roads, bridges, rail, public transit, airports, ports, waterways and the electric vehicle charging network. The funding alone has already created more than 170,000 jobs in California.
SB 1 has invested approximately $5 billion annually toward transportation projects since 2017. It provides funding split between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1.