District: District 11 — San Diego and Imperial Counties
Contact: Hayden.Manning@dot.ca.gov
Phone: (619) 688-6670
SACRAMENTO — The California Transportation Commission (CTC) this week also approved $1 billion for 93 new walking and biking projects for disadvantaged communities as part of the 2023 Active Transportation Program and allocated nearly $900 million for projects to repair and improve transportation infrastructure throughout the state. The allocation includes more than $209 million in funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and more than $356 million in funding from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
The projects approved at the meeting will benefit disadvantaged communities throughout California, two-thirds of which will implement safe routes for children to walk or bike to school. The projects make up more than half of the 2023 Active Transportation Program, with an additional $700 million to be awarded in the spring.
“California and our federal partners are continuing to make historic headway in addressing our transportation needs and advancing safety, equity, climate action and economic prosperity,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “Importantly, this includes significant investments in infrastructure that allows everyone to access active means of transportation, like walking and biking.”
Active transportation projects approved at the meeting include:
Sacramento / West Sacramento I Street Bridge Deck Conversion Project – This project will repurpose and modernize a historic bridge to close an active transportation gap and foster economic development between low-income and disadvantaged neighborhoods in West Sacramento and Sacramento. The project will construct and connect new ADA compliant bicycle/pedestrian ramps on both sides of the Sacramento River and enhance the upper deck to facilitate and encourage active transportation between the two cities.
Coachella Valley Arts and Music Line Project – This project will provide nearly nine miles of protected bicycle lanes and bicycle paths that will directly connect 11 disadvantaged schools. These improvements will provide significant separation and protection for people biking and walking along the project corridors. The project scope includes several innovative safety features including raised and/or recessed bicycle and pedestrian crossings.
Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network – This project will provide over 4 miles of safe bicyclist and pedestrian access to 10 schools, one college, 18 parks, 13 public beaches, four libraries, two community centers, and numerous senior and affordable housing projects. The two project segments are part of a transformative 32-mile Trail Network that will connect cities within Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
The $900 million in projects the CTC approved include:
• $152,000,000 to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to complete the environmental phase for a project that will cover the realignment of railroad tracks facing failure due to erosion into a tunnel that will cut through a Del Mar Hill.
• $10,554,000 to SANDAG for North County Transit District’s Sprinter light-rail City of Vista segment. The project between Mar Vista Drive and Civic Center Drive constructs 5,560 feet of Class 1 bikeway, pedestrian improvements at roadway crossings, fencing, lighting, and a pocket park.
• $9,835,000 on Interstate 5 from Genesee Avenue to Del Mar Heights Road to construct rumble strips on both shoulders, construct a Class 1 bike path as a complete streets element, and install fiber optic cable/Closed Circuit Television (CCTV).
• $2,400,000 on Interstate 8 from the San Diego County line to just west of Imperial Highway in Imperial County. The project is needed to dispose of rock
and debris, repair and/or replace guardrail, repair pavement, scale rocks,
and repair erosion damage caused by Tropical Storm Kay on September 9, 2022.
• $2,400,000 on State Routes 7, 78, 86 and 98 in Imperial County. The project is needed project is needed to remove debris, repair washouts, repair earthen
ditches, construct concrete aprons, place rock slope protection and repair pavement caused by Tropical Storm Kay on September 9, 2022.
• $1,221,000 on State Route 79 near Santa Ysabel from State Route 78 to the Riverside County line to rehabilitate culverts, replace sign panels, and make bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
• $640,000 to SANDAG for San Diego Metropolitan Transit System’s Zero Emission Transit Enhancement Project. The project on the agency’s Orange Line
for the design of signaling and track circuit enhancements and replacement of aging infrastructure that is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through optimization of system performance and cleaner technology, increase in ridership through additional Amtrak-operated intercity passenger rail service.
• $160,000 to the city of Oceanside for the Laurel Elementary Safe Routes to School Project School that includes infrastructure improvements, complemented by non-infrastructure activities to improve the safety and convenience for students walking/biking.
• $160,000 to SANDAG for San Diego Metropolitan Transit System’s Zero Emission Transit Enhancement Project. The project on the agency’s Orange Line for the design of signaling and track circuit enhancements and replacement of aging infrastructure that is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through optimization of system performance and cleaner technology, increase in ridership through additional Amtrak-operated intercity passenger rail service.
SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared equally between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. For more information about transportation projects funded by SB 1, visit RebuildingCA.ca.gov.