San Diego County CA—The California Transportation Commission awarded an additional $312 million in Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) funds this week during its regular monthly meeting held in San Diego, benefiting multiple transportation projects overseen by Caltrans, SANDAG, transit agencies, and county and city governments throughout the region.
Local leaders gathered during a news conference on Friday overlooking a Downtown San Diego freeway to outline how the funds will be spent to:
- reduce congestion along Interstate 5 in North County
- improve local streets and roads in the region’s 18 cities and the County of San Diego
- make freight and mobility improvements along the U.S. Mexico border
- improve and enhance equipment and operation of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Trolley lines
- continue to double track the freight and passenger North County Transit District rail line along the coastal corridor
- make environmental improvements at the Port of San Diego freight terminals in San Diego and National City
- enhance bike and walk ways
Funding for the projects was made possible by the 2017 passage of SB 1, which increased the state gas tax to fund transportation projects throughout the state.
Since its passage, the gas tax has provided more than $860 million to the region.
Attending today’s event were:
- Laurie Berman, Caltrans Director
- Senator Toni Atkins, President Pro-Tem, California State Senate
- Senator Ben Hueso, District 40
- Assemblymember Todd Gloria, District 78
- San Diego City Councilmember Georgette Gomez, District 9; Chair, Metropolitan Transit System
- Encinitas City Councilmember Tony Kranz, Boardmember, North County Transit District
- San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, District 1
- Rafael Castellanos, Chair, Port of San Diego
- Chief Jim Abele, California Highway Patrol
- Duane Friel, Operating Engineers, Local 12
- Christine Kehoe, Boardmember, California Transportation Commission
In the most recent $312 million award, a major Caltrans/SANDAG project to reduce congestion along the North Coast Corridor of Interstate 5 (Build NCC) received $195 million for construction of carpool lanes and other improvements. Build NCC is a state, local and federal partnership that includes adding carpool lanes, replacing highway and rail bridges, restoring the San Elijo Lagoon, and building new local and regional bike and pedestrian trails.
The California-Mexico Border System Project also was awarded $82 million to help improve cross-border commerce and mobility at the busiest commercial land port in California.
These regional transportation projects also received funds:
- $10.5 million Sorrento to Miramar Double Track Project (SANDAG)
- $12.5 million Citracado Parkway Transportation Connections (City of Escondido)
- $6 million Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and National City Marine Terminal (Port of San Diego)
- $6 million Otay Mesa Truck Route (City of San Diego)
SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, is expected to invest $54 billion over the next decade to fix roads, freeways and bridges throughout California, as well as improve transit and safety.
About Caltrans District 11
Caltrans District 11 serves one of the most geographically and culturally diverse areas in the country and includes San Diego and Imperial counties. It spans the entire California-Mexico Border from the Pacific coast to Arizona and reaches north from the international border to Orange and Riverside counties.
Follow @SDCaltrans on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SDCaltrans and visit Caltrans San Diego on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CaltransSanDiego for news related to state transportation in San Diego and Imperial counties.
About SANDAG
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the San Diego region’s primary public planning, transportation, and research agency, providing the public forum for regional policy decisions about growth, transportation planning and construction, environmental management, housing, open space, energy, public safety, and binational topics. SANDAG is governed by a Board of Directors composed of mayors, council members, and supervisors from each of the region’s 18 cities and the county government.
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