CalTrans allocates $325.8 million for improvements

The California Transportation Commission (CalTrans) last week allotted $325.8 million to 142 transportation projects that will lessen traffic delays, encourage bicycling and walking, and repair aging roads and bridges.

“CalTrans is building transportation improvements that will benefit the state for decades to come,” CalTrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said. “Not only are we working to preserve our previous investments in the state highway system, but we are investing in projects that will expand the availability of alternative, more sustainable ways of getting from point A to point B.”

The allocations included $132 million from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program for 54 projects maintaining the investment in the state highway system; $2.4 million for improvements near the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, including improving roadside areas, constructing access gates, creating weed barriers and relocating facilities at 75 locations; and $140,000 to the Transportation Agency for Monterey County to oversee infrastructure improvements in all cities along the Salinas Valley including sidewalk construction and repairs, bicycle lanes, multi-use paths, Americans with Disabilities (ADA) ramps and safety improvements near schools.

The funding sources include $8.4 million from Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved in 2006.

“CalTrans is embracing a ‘fix it first’ strategy by focusing on preventative maintenance to our existing transportation infrastructure,” Dougherty said. “We are striving to give California’s taxpayers the most bang for their buck because every $1 spent on preventative pavement maintenance translates into a savings of $6 to $14 that would have been spent on expensive pavement repairs.”