Hundreds of transportation projects were approved for funding Tuesday by the California Transportation Commission under a state Senate bill that was signed into law in 2017, according to Caltrans.
The projects will be funded entirely or partly by $690 million from SB-1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
“These projects are a just a small portion of the key improvements we need to maintain California’s critical transportation infrastructure,” Caltrans director Laurie Berman said.
The CTC also approved more than $1.3 billion in funding toward nearly 150 transportation projects for additional maintenance, improvements and construction throughout California.
“Throughout the state, projects like these are being completed through SB 1 investments,” she said.
Most of the projects that received funding are part of the State Highway Operations and Protection Program — Calfornia’s “fix-it-first” program. The program funds safety improvements, emergency repairs, highway preservation and some operational highway improvements.
While the program receives some funding from the state and federal government, the bulk of its funding comes from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account created by SB 1.
Under the law, Caltrans was tasked to repair and rehabilitate the state’s highway systems, including tackling congestion, enhancing trade corridors and encouraging local governments to invest in transportation.
Some of the funded projects include modernization of trail and transit systems, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving safety.
Local projects receiving funding include:
- Interstate 5 North Coast Corridor HOV Extension, which includes 18 miles of high occupancy vehicle lanes in both directions from Encinitas to Carlsbad, software and infrastructure to help traffic flow, a Park and Ride facility and bicycle and pedestrian paths. The budget for the project is $266 million, $195 million of which comes from SB 1.
- Pavement Project on state Routes 52, 163, Interstates 15 and 805 in the city of San Diego, which will improve safety, ride quality and extend the service life the freeway lanes. The budget for the project is $15.1 million, with $1.7 million funded from SB 1.
- State Route 11 design for new Otay Mesa East Port of Entry: The project’s $4.8 budget was entirely funded by SB 1, which will design the last southbound interchange for the new Otay Mesa Port of Entry and the first northbound interchange for vehicles entering the U.S. from Mexico.