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Mile Marker shares highlights from recent developments of note that predominantly involve Caltrans
Caltrans continues its clean-waterways quest
Caltrans, through its Stormwater Campaign “Let’s Change This to That,” partnered with the California Coastal Commission for the second year in a row to advocate for cleaner coastlines and pollutant-free water during September’s Coastal Cleanup Month.
Numerous cleanup activities – including ones in Huntington Beach, Sacramento and San Francisco – took place statewide throughout the month with a goal of preserving the natural splendor of California’s coastline and ensuring that both inland and coastal area residents understand their impact on community waterways, such as lakes, rivers, creeks, and the ocean.
During the first year of the partnership in 2022, the California Coastal Commission found that statewide volunteer participation on Coastal Cleanup Day was up nearly 25 percent. The partnership aims to build on that success and encourage even more Californians to join a cleanup effort.
Caltrans awards $41 million for sustainable projects
Powered by an infusion of state and federal investments, Caltrans awarded $41.6 million in planning grants for 90 sustainable, climate-resilient transportation projects throughout California that address local and regional impacts of extreme weather events fueled by climate change.
The projects selected will help reduce planet-warming pollution, improve resiliency of the state highway system, enhance access to safe walkways and bike paths, and increase natural disaster preparedness.
Nearly $30 million comes from one-time state and federal sources made possible by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s historic $15 billion clean transportation package in the 2022-23 state budget to further the state’s ambitious climate goals. Another $12.4 million comes from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. The awards will fund project planning and conceptual design efforts, helping move the projects closer to construction. They include:
- $20.2 million in Sustainable Communities Competitive and Technical Grants to 56 local, regional, tribal and transit agencies for transportation and land use planning, as well as planning for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
- $18.1 million in Climate Adaptation Planning Grants to 26 local, regional, tribal, and transit agencies to identify transportation-related climate vulnerabilities through the development of climate adaptation.
- $3.3 million in federally funded Strategic Partnership Grants to eight projects that will plan for comprehensive highway corridors, rural agriculture and highway safety, tourism demand, intercity bus systems, transit centers, and other sustainability initiatives.
Transportation infrastructure loses ‘high risk’ label
The California State Auditor removed the state’s transportation infrastructure from its “high-risk list” after 16 years in recognition of the progress California has made in rebuilding and upgrading the state transportation system in recent years.
The auditor first designated California’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure as a high-risk issue in May 2007, noting at the time that a long-term stable funding source was needed to address maintaining and upgrading the state’s aging roads and bridges, reduce traffic delays, improve goods movement, and increase options for transit, intercity rail and active transportation like walking and biking.
That all changed with the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which provides more than $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared about equally between state and local agencies. SB 1 represented the first significant, stable and ongoing increase in state transportation funding in more than two decades. To date, California has invested nearly $20 billion in SB 1 funding in almost 14,000 projects in communities throughout the state, creating more than 254,000 jobs.
As the auditor notes, keeping California’s transportation infrastructure in good repair is important because it enhances safety and maintains the usable life of critical state assets, which currently consists of 50,000 lane miles of pavement, 13,200 bridges, 213,000 culverts and drainage facilities, and nearly 21,000 transportation management system elements (changeable message signs, meters, etc.).
Efforts to raise SR-37, restore habitat get federal boost
California’s efforts to ensure the long-term resiliency of State Route 37 (SR-37) and San Pablo Bay received a significant boost this summer with the infusion of $155 million in federal funding.
The California Transportation Commission formally allocated the funds to elevate a key section of State Route 37 to guard against future flooding on a vital regional corridor that connects Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties and enhance habitat connectivity for San Pablo Bay. The $180 million project will raise the roadway by 30 feet over Novato Creek by 2029, well above the projected year 2130 sea-level rise.
The $155 million allocation comes from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and is lauded by environmental groups and local leaders who have been calling for investments to support the long-term viability of the SR- 37.
The funding builds on a partnership agreement forged earlier this year among state and local agencies on a suite of commitments to implement near-term improvements to SR-37 while pursuing a long-term climate-resilient corridor that reestablishes habitat connectivity across San Pablo Bay.
The project reduces risks of route closures due to flooding and presents an opportunity to enhance bicycle and pedestrian access.
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State honors 11 Caltrans workers with Medal of Valor awards
The state of California honored 11 Caltrans employees with the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor, the highest honors California bestows on its public servants. The awards are given to state employees for acts of heroism that go beyond the normal call of duty and at great personal risk to protect state property or save lives.
Caltrans Landscape Maintenance Worker Brian Rubalcava and Highway Maintenance Worker Jason Lofton were awarded the Silver Medal of Valor for their heroic act during a dangerous rescue in extreme cold weather down steep terrain to save a couple after their vehicle went over a snow-covered embankment in Siskiyou County on Dec. 19, 2021.
Caltrans Equipment Operators Jeremy Maraviov, Scott Davidson and Trevor Gipson were awarded with the Silver Medal of Valor for saving a father and young son after their car went down a steep embankment in Trinity County on Dec. 26, 2021.
Caltrans Highway Maintenance Worker Nicholas Macias and Equipment Operator Robert Hernandez were awarded the Silver Medal of Valor for saving a man trapped inside a burning vehicle in Merced on Aug. 3, 2022.
Caltrans Equipment Operator Roberto Lopez was awarded the Gold Medal of Valor for rescuing a colleague who was trapped in a burning vehicle after an incident with a cargo truck in San Diego County on May 26, 2022.
Caltrans Maintenance Area Superintendent Cody Collins and Transportation Engineering Technician Jeffrey Scardine were awarded the Silver Medal of Valor for rescuing a student who fell while taking a bank scaling and rock-climbing course in Kingvale on Oct. 6, 2022. The student was dangling by rope, putting him into a life-threatening situation. Collins and Scardine quickly assessed the situation, rappelled, and transferred the student safely to the ground, saving his life.
Caltrans Highway Maintenance Worker William Miller was awarded the Silver Medal of Valor for rescuing a woman after her vehicle struck Miller’s in the early morning of Jan. 21, 2020, in Placer County. Despite his injuries, he selflessly saved the woman in the other vehicle before both vehicles were engulfed in flames.
The State Employee Medal of Valor award is the highest honor California bestows on its public servants. Governor Edmund G. Brown Sr. presented the first awards in 1959. Since then, more than 700 state employees, including 116 Caltrans employees, have earned the honor for their courage and selflessness in the face of danger.
Source: Division of Public Affairs