Two measures passed by the voters in November, Propositions 1A and 1B, may allow region to start building planned transportation projects sooner than expected.
Proposition 1A guarantees about $1.5 billion from the state sales tax on gasoline will spent on transportation each year, with approximately $90 million of that for our region. The funding is primarily divided based on population, so SACOG's planning area receives just under six percent of the total funds. In previous years, the State Legislature was able to suspend this funding and redirect it to the General Fund; Proposition 1A allows the Legislature only to borrow this money, not suspend it, and requires that it be repaid within three years.
Almost $20 billion in transportation projects will be built statewide under Proposition 1B. If solely based on population, the Sacramento region would be in the position of planning for an additional $1.1 billion in transportation projects. The legislation spreads this among 16 programs, each with a different timeline and process. About half the funds will be divided at the discretion of the state and about half by formulas. The Corridor Mobility Improvement Program (the first of the 1B programs) will provide $4.5 billion for state highway corridor projects that must be started by December 2012. Projects must be nominated by January 16, 2007, so agencies across the state are acting quickly to submit lists to the California Transportation Commission.
This program is intended to relieve congestion or improve connectivity on state highway corridors. Projects funded from this program must also have a completed project study report defining scope, schedule, and cost before programming and showing improvements to capacity, travel time, operations, safety, or access to jobs or housing.
SACOG is nominating 14 projects and Caltrans five projects for this program within Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. Placer County Transportation Planning Agency and El Dorado County Transportation Commission will submit projects separately on behalf of their counties. The California Transportation Commission is more likely to favor those projects nominated jointly; it will make its decision on February 28.
Projects nominated to the California Transportation Commission by SACOG: realign and widen White Rock Road to 4 lanes; widen Hazel Avenue to 6 lanes; extend Cosumnes River Boulevard as a 6- lane road; rebuild I-5 ramps at Richards Boulevard; develop and install STARNET connections; add direct connector ramps on I-5 at Highway 113 in Woodland (Phase 1); add carpool lanes on I-80 from I-5 to Watt Avenue; add carpool lanes on U.S. 50 from Sunrise Boulevard to Watt Avenue or Highway 99; add auxiliary lanes on U.S. 50 from Sunrise to Folsom Boulevard; add auxiliary lanes on I-5 from Cosumnes River Boulevard to Pocket Road; widen 7th Street to 4 lanes from F Street to Richards Boulevard in Sacramento; rebuild Highway 99 interchanges and ramps at A and C streets in Galt; and build an all-weather bicycle bridge across the Yolo bypass on I-80 between Davis and West Sacramento.
Regional Report for December 2006 - January 2007 (text-only version)
Sacramento Area Council of Governments