California Invests Nearly $1 Billion in Transportation Infrastructure, Including Clean Energy, Bike Lanes and Pedestrian Projects

SACRAMENTO – The California Transportation Commission (CTC) today allocated nearly $1 billion for projects aimed at solving mobility challenges and aiding California’s continued effort to make the highway system more resilient to climate change.

“These investments will harden the transportation system against the devastating results of extreme weather events,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “The allocations made today will add to the electric charging infrastructure, increase mobility options for people who walk and bicycle and enhance our goal to improve safety and economic equity for all users.”

Of the total investment allocated this month, nearly $623 million comes from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA). Another $264 million comes from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

Among the projects approved:

· $15 million for the installation of electric charging infrastructure to power electric buses at San Mateo County’s SamTrans system.

· $9.5 million to help pay for new bike lanes, crosswalks, pedestrian push buttons, signal heads and other safety upgrades on an 8-mile segment of SR-82 in Santa Clara County.

· $6 million for the city of Sacramento to help build a new light rail station serving Sacramento City College.

· $114,000 for the construction of service bays needed to maintain a new fleet of fuel cell electric buses to serve Humboldt County.

District 9 projects include:

· Bishop Pavement Project: The CTC approved $7.444 million in supplemental funding for the construction phase of this project, which will rehabilitate U.S. 395 through the city of Bishop and State Route 168 (W. Line Street) from near Pioneer Lane to U.S. 395 (Main Street). It will also upgrade sidewalks and other facilities to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, install transportation management system elements, and construct a multi-use path as complete streets elements. The supplemental funding is split between IIJA—$6.59M—and SB 1—$854k.

· Dry Creek Culvert Replacement: The CTC approved $1.02 million in funding for this emergency project, which repaired culverts on State Route 203 in Mammoth Lakes that were damaged by heavy debris flow. SB 1 accounts for the entirety of the approved funding.

· Mammoth Lakes Multi-Use Path: The CTC approved $180,000 for the design phase of the project, which will close a gap between Lakes Basin Path and the Town Loop multi-use path. The project will also improve drainage, add slope protection, install lighting, and include other supportive infrastructure.

IIJA is a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure to improve the sustainability and resiliency of the energy, water, broadband and transportation systems. California has received nearly $62 billion in federal infrastructure funding since its passage. This includes investments to upgrade the state’s roads, bridges, rail, public transit, airports, ports, waterways and the electric vehicle charging network. The funding alone has already created more than 170,000 jobs in California.

Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) has invested approximately $5 billion annually toward transportation projects since 2017. It provides funding split between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. For more information visit: Build.ca.gov.

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