The California Transportation Commission has allocated nearly $1.7 billion to enhance safety, mobility, and the strength of the state highway system, according to the California Department of Transportation. This initiative aligns with Governor Gavin Newsom’s “Build More, Faster — For All” infrastructure strategy, aimed at making California communities safer and more resilient to climate impacts.
Caltrans Acting Director Mike Keever emphasized the importance of these investments for the present and future of California’s transportation system, noting that the funding will lead to safer travel and improved mobility options while reinforcing roadways against extreme weather.
Specific projects approved in District 2 include:
- Greenville Wye Transportation Management System Improvements Project: Located in Plumas County, this project will enhance traffic management systems, including highway advisory radio, emergency message signs, and closed-circuit television.
- SR 70 Slides Director’s Order Project: This project covers areas in Plumas and Butte counties, focusing on clearing slide debris and repairing pavement and guardrails. Following a recent slide incident, additional funding is required for further rock removal and slope repairs, with $560,000 allocated from Senate Bill 1.
- D2 Park Fire Director’s Order Project: Spanning Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama counties, this initiative aims to provide traffic control, remove hazard trees, replace culverts, and implement erosion control measures. The project has seen an increase in the number of hazard trees to be removed, from 680 to 6,000, alongside additional drainage work due to recent storm damage. This project includes $1.2 million in SB 1 funding.
Of the total allocation, nearly $651 million was sourced from SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, and approximately $536 million came from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. The IIJA, known as the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill, is a significant investment aimed at enhancing the sustainability and resilience of U.S. infrastructure systems. Since its enactment, California has received nearly $62 billion in federal infrastructure funding, supporting upgrades to roads, bridges, rail, public transit, airports, ports, and waterways, and creating over 170,000 jobs.
SB 1 contributes approximately $5 billion annually to transportation projects, facilitating faster progress through construction phases based on available funding, including for projects partially funded by SB 1.
