$583 million to be spent on California roads; Over $36 million in SLT

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has adopted 156 projects, valued at $583 million, to support needed upkeep on California’s aging roads and bridges, make upgrades to transit and rail systems and encourage use of alternative forms of transportation, including biking and walking. One major project in South Lake Tahoe has been adopted.

$36,482,000 to be spend in South Lake Tahoe on a planned project set to begin on May 1, 2017. Ten lane miles will be widened to accommodate Class II bike lands and bus pullouts from north junction Route 89 to Trout Creek Bridge. They will be treating 58.8 acres of stormwater runoff with Best Management Practices to improve water quality and comply with the NPDES permit. Also planned is a new traffic light at the intersection of Highway 50 and Lodi Avenue, upgrading intersection signals at 3rd Street, Tahoe Keys Blvd., Sierra Blvd. and Rubicon Trail/O'Malley Drive, a new right-turn lane at Tahoe Keys Blvd., added a left turn lane at Sierra Blvd at its intersection with Highway 50.

Also in South Lake Tahoe, $108,000 will be spent to update the Lake Tahoe Airport land use compatibility plans.

The newly allocated funding includes $267.8 million from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) for 38 “fix-it first” projects that will repair bumpy pavement, preserve roads that are in good condition from deteriorating and upgrade bridges to make them safer and stronger. Most of California’s highways are more than a half-century old; carry nearly half of the nation’s container freight—heavy loads that pound California’s highways more than any other state; and sustained 190 billion vehicle miles traveled in 2015.

Other allocations include:
• $169.7 million for 29 capital improvement projects both on and off the state highway system as part of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
• $52 million toward 71 Active Transportation Program projects
• $40.6 million for Transit and Intercity Rail Program projects

The allocations also include $15.5 million from Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved by voters in 2006. To date, more than $19.1 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes.

Among the other projects that received funding allocations today were:

• Butte County -- $1.9 million to the Town of Paradise for two projects calling for roadway and sidewalk improvements and bike lanes on two sections of Maxwell Drive and on Pearson Road between Black Oak Drive and Academy Drive.
• El Dorado County -- $16.6 million for roadway improvements and replacement of the South Fork American River Bridge on State Highway 49 near Coloma.
• Glenn County -- $30.7 million to rehabilitate 85.6 lane miles of pavement on Interstate 5 around the Willows area from the Colusa County line to just north of County Road 28.
• Sacramento County -- $7.4 million to rehabilitate 9.9 lane miles of pavement, upgrade curb ramps to current Americans with Disabilities Act standards and update guard rail on State Highway 160 from the American River Bridge to the Capital City Freeway.
• Sacramento County -- $1.1 million to the City of Sacramento to build a new Class I bike path along an old railroad corridor from Sutterville Road to south of Pocket/Meadowview Road.
• Placer County -- $799,000 to the City of Auburn to install Class II bike lanes and make curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements along Nevada Street between Placer Street and Fulweiler Avenue.

The State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is the biennial five-year plan adopted by the Commission for future allocations of certain state transportation funds for state highway improvements, intercity rail, and regional highway and transit improvements. State law requires the Commission to update the STIP biennially, in even-numbered years, with each new STIP adding two new years to prior programming commitments.