Report highlights Caltrans' many 2023-2024 accomplishments

Throughout the state, district personnel and their partners chalked up a variety of wins through collaboration, creativity, innovation and hard work

Late last year, Caltrans released its fourth annual Accomplishments Report, which highlighted many of the department’s achievements from January 2023 through June 2024.

The collection celebrates successes that span the breadth of all Caltrans’ programs and districts and emphasizes the broad reach of the department’s impact on all Californians. The report is framed in the context of Caltrans’ Core Four Priorities — Safety, Equity, Climate Action and Prosperity — with People First at the forefront of what we do.

Whether our employees are out in the field maintaining the roads or working behind the scenes to plan California’s transportation future, our mission is the same — to improve lives.

The Core Four Priorities assert the general direction Caltrans will take to realize its vision. The priorities indicate where resources will be directed to have the greatest impact, and each is accompanied by a series of desired, specific outcomes.

Taken from the 2023-2024 report, whose PDF is available online, here are a few examples of Caltrans’ accomplishments during those 18 months.

Safety

At the intersection of State Routes 25 and 156 in San Benito County, District 5 completed construction of the first turbo roundabout in California. It operates like a regular roundabout but has additional features that reduce the potential for collisions and was designed and constructed to address the immediate safety needs at this intersection.

The SR 25/156 intersection serves commuters and important goods movement for the region. Prior to adding the turbo roundabout, the junction had been experiencing a pattern of broadside and rear end collisions at more than twice the number of similar intersections in California. This innovative new facility improves safety while maintaining intersection traffic flow and efficiency.

Equity

District 6 created a Tribal Engagement Plan in collaboration with Headquarters’ Division of Environmental Analysis. The plan is derived from the California Transportation Plan (CTP), the state’s long-range transportation blueprint for a better future.

The purpose of the engagement plan is to establish and maintain communication, coordination and meaningful consultation with Caltrans’ tribal partners. The plan allows for regular and proactive communication, capacity-building workshops and collaborative planning sessions to ensure that tribal voices are integral to transportation decision-making processes. Additionally, this plan prioritizes cultural sensitivity and mutual respect, fostering long-term partnerships that honor tribal sovereignty and enhance the quality of life for all community members.

Climate Action

In March 2023, District 4 shifted Highway 1 traffic at Gleason Beach onto the new alignment that veered inland, away from the rapidly eroding coastal bluffs. The project encompassed a 4,000-foot, two-lane roadway realignment on State Route 1 in Sonoma County, near Bodega Bay.

The improvements included a bridge over Scotty Creek, a pedestrian pathway and a shoulder for bicyclists. These projects required demolishing the culvert that crossed Scotty Creek, relocating a major waterline and clearing the way for the initial alignment of the California Coastal Trail.

This is the first Caltrans project specifically designed to address sea-level rise, and it will also integrate broadband facilities into the roadway. Additionally, the project remediated a significant fish passage barrier by removing a triple box culvert at Scotty Creek and restoring salmonid habitat.

Economic Prosperity

District 11 completed all necessary infrastructure to support the State Route 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project, a key project for California, the San Diego region, the United States and Mexico. The SR 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project has been in progress for more than 20 years. It is a collaboration between federal, state and local entities with a goal to construct a modern port of entry that can handle the current cross-border traffic, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, boost economic growth and improve regional mobility.

This project is a joint effort between the California State Transportation Agency, Caltrans, the San Diego Association of Governments and the Federal Government. It has long been envisioned in the California-Mexico Border Master Plan and now, it’s nearly complete.

People First

District 7 reached a significant milestone in property sales in the State Route 710 corridor, with the first sale to housing related entities (HREs). Additionally, a sale to a current tenant at fair market value was finalized and approved, and escrow has completed.

District 7 is also in the process of sales to current tenants and the cities of Los Angeles, Pasadena and South Pasadena, with 56 open escrows. The sale of these properties, along with their reintegration as housing stock, will provide additional affordable housing for the residents of these jurisdictions, as well as first-time homeownership opportunities to some long-time renters of these properties.

Find many more examples of Caltrans’ 2023-2024 accomplishments by viewing this online PDF.