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California invests $491 million for transportation improvements

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California invests $491 million for transportation improvements
California’s Senate Bill 1 provides $273 million of the funding for repairing highways and bridges across California. Shown in this July 2020 photo, a section of Highway 162 in Oroville is repaved using recycled pavement asphalt and liquid plastic with single-use recycled plastic bottles. (Courtesy: Caltrans)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Transportation Commission (CTC) in late March allocated $491 million to address transportation needs throughout the state. This investment, which includes $273 million generated from Senate Bill 1 (SB1), known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, will repair highways and bridges and improve California’s growing network of mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian routes.

“These critical investments will help improve California’s transportation infrastructure now and into the future,” said Toks Omishakin, director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). “This includes improving safety and access for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians, and planning for the long-term maintenance of these vital assets.”

The following are a few projects aimed at improving or repairing some of the state’s roads and bridges.

District 3 — Marysville

  • In Sacramento County, $31.5 million was allocated for various pavement and roadside rehabilitation projects on Interstate 80, State Route 51 (Capital City Freeway) and State Route 244, which serves as a connector between I-80 and the Capital City Freeway. Improvements also include vegetation control, the construction of maintenance vehicle pullouts and utility box relocation.
  • Sacramento County will also use $12.6 million for the American River Bridge Rehabilitation project that will remove, replace and widen the existing concrete bridge deck, and add a bike path from levee to levee.
  • Sacramento County will designate $3.7 million to the city of Elk Grove for the Capital Southeast Connector Project. The project is widening the roadway and improving intersections at three locations on Kammerer Road from Rau Road to Lent Ranch Parkway.

District 5 — San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara

  • An $11 million allocation to rehabilitate the Garrapata Creek Bridge on Highway 1 in Monterey County with the application of an electrochemical chloride extraction and waterproofing of the structure.
  • A $6 million allocation to replace two bridges near the Refugio Overcrossing on U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara County.
  • A $5 million allocation to build a tieback wall, restore the roadway, improve drainage facilities and install permanent erosion control measures on State Route 236 near Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County.
  • A $4 million allocation to rehabilitate the pavement, repair drainage systems, upgrade the median barrier and guardrail on U.S. 101 from north of Boronda Road to north of Crazy Horse Canyon Road near Salinas in Monterey County.
  • A $2 million allocation to replace the San Lorenzo River Bridge and the Kings Creek Bridge on State Route 9 near Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County.

District 6 — Fresno and Bakersfield include:

  • A Traffic Management Program Repair Project in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera and Tulare Counties; $4.5 million will repair Transportation Management System (TMS) elements throughout District 6. This project will help reduce congestion and improve operational efficiency.
  • A $4.2 million bridge upgrade project on State Route 99 in Tulare County will upgrade the bridge railing to current standards and install approach railings at the Avenue 48 Overcrossing, the Davis Avenue Overcrossing and the Avenue 100 Overcrossing in and near Pixley in Tulare County.

District 8 — Riverside and San Bernardino counties 

  • A Caltrans project near Needles on Interstate 40: Halfway Hills Wash Bridge. Replace bridges, and replace and expand rock slope protection limits.

District 9 — Inyo and Mono counties

  • In Mono County on U.S. 395 at various locations, and on U.S. 6 approximately 7 miles north of Bishop: This project will construct two new chain control turnouts and improve several existing chain control turnouts by widening and lengthening the pavement area, installing lighting, improving signage and constructing a median cross-over.
  • In Inyo County near Shoshone, 42 lane miles of State Route 127 will be rehabilitated. The project will also replace signage along the highway. This project will stretch from 4.6 miles north of State Route 178 to 7.6 miles south of State Route 190, and from 0.3 miles south of State Route 190 to the Nevada state line.

District 10 — Stockton

  • A project that will repair or replace damaged and nonfunctioning Traffic Management System (TMS) elements In San Joaquin, Amador, Calaveras, Merced, Mariposa, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties, on various routes — 4, 5, 26, 33, 49, 59, 99, 104, 108, 120, 132, 140, 152 and 205. This project, which received nearly $4 million, will help reduce congestion and improve operational efficiency.

District 12 — Orange County 

  • Safety improvements for Interstate 5 in Anaheim, from 0.2 mile north of Anaheim Boulevard to Santa Ana Street will be given $2.2 million. The purpose of this project is to enhance highway worker safety by upgrading access trails and access gates, relocating facilities away from traffic, and installing features to reduce repetitive maintenance activities.

California’s SB1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually, which is split between state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB1. For more information about other transportation projects funded by SB1, visit www.RebuildingCA.ca.gov.

The Trucker News Staff

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The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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