July 1, 2024 – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that four California transportation projects were awarded over $65 million from the Department of Transportation (DOT). The funding comes from the FY 2024 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grants program and will help communities in California complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects.
The RAISE program invests in road, rail, transit, and port projects across the country that may struggle to receive support through other U.S. DOT grant programs. Padilla supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s substantial increase in funding for the RAISE program.
“From Sacramento County to San Diego, this critical funding up and down the state will make our roadways safer, help thousands of passengers get where they need to go, and keep our supply chain moving,” said Senator Padilla. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver for California communities, driving historic investments in local and regional transportation infrastructure projects to make critical rail tracks and roadways safer and more accessible.”
Recipients of the RAISE funding from the Department of Transportation include:
- City of Santa Ana — $25 million: This project will fund the reconstruction of an existing rail crossing at Santa Ana Boulevard, adjacent to the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, with a new multimodal grade separated underpass. The reconstructed roadway will be reduced from six lanes to four lanes with on-street protected bikeways, sidewalks, and a pedestrian overcrossing that parallels the rail line.
- El Dorado Connector Authority — $25 million: This project will reconstruct approximately 3.6 miles of an existing two-lane roadway with an added adjacent Class 1 multi-use path on Grant Line Road from Chrysanthy Boulevard to White Rock Road. The project will also improve existing signals where Grant Line Road intersects with White Rock Road, Douglas Road, Raymer Way, and Chrysanthy Boulevard, in addition to other improvements.
- North County Transit District — $10.2 million: This project will fund preliminary engineering and environmental clearance for rail improvements to the easternmost portion of the SPRINTER rail corridor between Palomar College Station and the Escondido Transit Center. Improvements in the approximate 7-mile project area include planning for approximately 3.6 miles of double track, three new bridges, a new station platform, and grade crossing improvements.
- San Diego Unified Port District — $5 million: This project will fund the planning, design, and environmental permitting for on-terminal rail track replacement, realignment, and load capacity improvements. The project will also advance the planning of seismic upgrades, concreate resurfacing, water and utility reconfiguration and upgrades, as well as front gate, perimeter fence, and operations center reconfiguration.
Senator Padilla previously announced over $119 million in RAISE grants for eight California projects in 2022. Earlier this year, Padilla announced $236.9 million in federal funding for 17 California projects to improve neighborhood connectivity, roadway infrastructure, and street safety, as well as $53.9 million for the North County Transit District to make improvements to the San Dieguito River Railway Bridge. He also applauded over $139 million for California through DOT’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, as well as $290 million for critical rail projects across the state last year.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla