Nearly $3.4 Billion in Transportation Projects to Be Accelerated

SACRAMENTO—Caltrans added nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement repair and 66 bridges to its growing list of projects to be delivered sooner-than-planned thanks to the imminent influx of  revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), the transportation funding and reform package passed in April. To date, Caltrans has now expedited nearly $5 billion in "fix-it-first" projects since the spring. 

"Years of unfunded maintenance needs have plagued our roadways; Caltrans is expediting projects with the expectation of SB 1 funds coming in November," said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. "We are lining up projects that are going to deliver real results for all users of the state transportation system."

This latest approval of 90 major "fix-it-first" transportation projects, worth nearly $3.4 billion, are part of a list Caltrans submitted to the California Transportation Commission (Commission) that was voted on at the Commission’s October meeting. 

Improvements to be made by these projects include improving or replacing 66 bridges; rehabilitating nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement on highways across the state; repairing more than 300 culverts and drainage systems; and installing nearly 2,400 elements that are part of traffic management systems that help manage traffic and reduce congestion.

Among the projects in District 2 receiving funding allocations are:

$26.4 million pavement preservation project will improve 6.4 lane miles, update signage and lighting, and add Intelligent Transportation System elements on Interstate 5 from I-5/SR-273 Separation in the city of Anderson to the Sacramento River Bridge.

$135.8 million pavement preservation project (135,825,000) will improve 25.4 lane miles on Interstate 5 from the Sacramento River Bridge in the city of Dunsmuir to Black Butte Overhead in Siskiyou County.

$39.2 million bridge project (39,249,000) will revamp and improve the vertical clearance for trucks to improve freight movement on Interstate 5 at the Louie Road Overcrossing in Yreka, Moonlit Oaks Avenue Undercrossing, Miner Street Undercrossing and North Yreka Separation in Siskiyou County, and the State Route 273/I-5 Connector Overcrossing in the city of Redding in Shasta County. 

$10.7 million bridge project (10,726,000) will improve the Dobbins Gulch Bridge, Stuart Fork Bridge and Mule Creek Bridge on State Route 3, and the Grass Valley Bridge on SR-299 in Trinity County. 

The projects authorized today come on the heels of more than $285 million in accelerated existing highway repair projects announced earlier in July, and nearly $901 million in "fix-it-first" projects in August.

SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of approximately $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system, including $400 million specifically for bridges and culverts. SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027. Caltrans will also fix 7,700 traffic operating systems, like ramp meters, traffic cameras and electric highway message boards that help reduce highway congestion. 

Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1, visit Rebuilding California.