District 5: Nearly $3.4 Billion in Transportation Projects to Be Accelerated

Published:

District: District 5
Contact: Jim Shivers
Phone: (805) 549-3237
Contact: Tamie McGowen
Phone: (916) 657-5060

SACRAMENTO — Caltrans added nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement repair and 66 bridges to its growing list of projects to be delivered sooner than planned thanks to the imminent influx of revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), the transportation funding and reform package passed in April. To date, Caltrans has now expedited nearly $5 billion in "fix-it-first" projects since the spring.

"Years of unfunded maintenance needs have plagued our roadways, so Caltrans is expediting projects with the expectation of SB 1 funds coming in November. We are lining up projects that are going to deliver real results for all users of the state transportation system."

Malcolm Dougherty, Director, Caltrans

This latest approval of 90 major "fix-it-first" transportation projects, worth nearly $3.4 billion, are part of a list Caltrans submitted to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) that was voted on at the Commission's October meeting.

Improvements to be made by these projects include:

  • improving or replacing 66 bridges
  • rehabilitating nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement on highways across the state
  • repairing more than 300 culverts and drainage systems
  • and installing nearly 2,400 elements that are part of traffic management systems that help manage traffic and reduce congestion.

Among the projects that received funding allocations were:

District 5 CTC Funding Allocations October 2017

  • $129 million to widen the shoulders, improve drainage systems, upgrade barrier railings, reconstruct embankments and improve 49 lane miles of US Highway 101 from south of Espinosa Road in Monterey County to the Monterey/San Benito County line.
  • $69 million to preserve the pavement, upgrade guardrail, widen shoulders and improve 28 lane miles of US Highway 101 from south of the Gaviota Tunnel to north of the  Nojoqui Creek Bridge in Santa Barbara County.
  • $23 million to replace the San Lorenzo River Bridge and the Kings Creek Bridge on State Route 9 in Santa Cruz County.
  • $16 million to replace the San Jose Creek Bridges on US Highway 101 in the City of Goleta in Santa Barbara County.
  • $11 million to improve bridges and upgrade bridge railing on the La Colina Road  Undercrossing and the Primavera Road Undercrossing on State Route 154 in Santa Barbara County.
  • $5 million to replace traffic monitoring systems on various state highways in Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.

The projects authorized today come on the heels of more than $285 million in accelerated existing highway repair projects announced earlier in July, and nearly $901 million in "fix-it-first" projects in August.

SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of approximately $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system, including $400 million specifically for bridges and culverts. SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027. Caltrans will also fix 7,700 traffic operating systems, like ramp meters, traffic cameras and electric highway message boards that help reduce highway congestion.

Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1 visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.