The California Transportation Commission approved more than $2 billion for 56 new projects across the state Thursday, which the commission says will create more than 100,000 jobs over the next several years.
The projects focus on reducing traffic, improving goods movement, increasing transit service, expanding the state’s managed lanes network, and investing in bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Funding for the projects comes from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which created three programs – the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program, and the Local Partnership Competitive Program, and includes three years of funding.
“These projects are going to benefit California in multiple important ways,” Commission Chair Hilary Norton said. “From an economic perspective, they will move people and goods more efficiently while creating over 100,000 jobs during one of the most difficult periods in our state’s history. From a climate perspective, they will move us toward a more inter-connected and multimodal transportation system that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by getting more people to take transit, walk, or bike. This will be a game-changer for transportation in California, especially as the state moves toward making travel on all of these modes cleaner.”
Projects include $630,000 to Nevada County for the Legacy Trail-Brockway Road Multi-Use Trail Connection; $115,000,000 to Orange County to fix chokepoints and add lanes to SR 55; $118,739,999 to San Bernardino and Riverside counties to add lanes to I-15; and $7,000,000 to San Diego County for the Bike Up & Down in Uptown project.
The commission said it received 130 application requests for more than #3.7 billion in projects. Requests were evaluated by commission staff and staff from the California Department of Transportation based on criteria established by legislation and through public workshops.