Serving as the 2007 chair of the SACOG Board of Directors comes with challenges and opportunities. Working collaboratively with 30 elected officials from 28 local governments throughout the region, while at times difficult to navigate, has become essentially what we do best. Our efforts are inclusive and deliberative. We continue to look at our general plans and development patterns with a Blueprint vision to provide a variety of transportation choices, housing choices, and mixed land uses in hopes of conserving natural resources and encouraging development of attractive communities.
When we adopted the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2025, we took a regional approach to delivering transportation projects. In 2006 -- for the third year in a row -- SACOG was able to deliver regional projects ahead of schedule, avoiding future construction cost increases and bringing improvements to our communities sooner: the widening of Pleasant Valley Road in El Dorado County, a new light rail grade separation at Folsom Boulevard and Watt Avenue, new natural gas buses, the Tower Bridge Gateway at Riske Lane, rehabilitation of several roads in Yuba and Sutter counties, and progress on the Amtrak/Folsom Corridor project and the Tower Bridge Pedestrian project.
Moving forward with the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2035, we’re reaching far and wide across the region to listen to what residents want and need in their regional transportation system. This past month, with the help of KCRA 3, we televised this dialogue. The Road Map to the Future program asked more than 50,000 viewers their priorities for road improvements, transit improvements and quality of life program investments including infrastructure for bicycling and walking. SACOG is also conducting phone polls, online surveys and focus groups, working to be sure that the draft MTP for 2035 reflects investments in the travel choices we will all want to make over the next 5, 10, 15 and 25 years.
As we learned from the last MTP, we must act to preserve our quality of life. Changing our growth pattern will help, but we can do things today that will reduce congestion and improve our air quality. Can each of us reduce our car use? Can we live closer to where we work? Can we shop closer to home? Can we be more efficient in our daily travels? Our opportunities to protect what we love about our region are great and within our reach.
Rusty Dupray
Regional Report for February - March 2007 (text-only version)
Also available: PDF version
Sacramento Area Council of Governments