The California Transportation Commission (CTC) allocated $123.6 million in funding to Orange County projects that will help improve freeway conditions and increase road safety for drivers and pedestrians.
At its Sacramento meeting on Tuesday, June 11, the CTC approved a total of $41.6 million in Proposition 1B State-Local Partnership Program (SLPP) funds to OCTA and local Orange County projects, with $6.9 million to six local projects and $34.8 million to OCTA freeway projects.
Together with prior allocations that also include $49.9 million to local agency projects, the commission has signed off on a total of $84.7 million in SLPP funding for Orange County’s roads, freeways and public transit.
Additional allocations from the meeting include:
- $40.6 million in State Highway Operations and Protection Program funds divided among safety and maintenance projects on the Costa Mesa Freeway (SR-55) in Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and Tustin; a slope stabilization project on the Corona del Mar Freeway (SR-73); and safety projects in Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Palma and Westminster
- $35.9 million in Proposition 1B Trade Corridor Improvement Funds (TCIF) to the City of Fullerton for the State College Boulevard Grade Separation
- $2.5 million in State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds to landscaping on the Riverside Freeway (SR-91) widening project from the SR-55 to Weir Canyon Road
- $1.4 million to OCTA for planning, programming and monitoring activities
- $1.5 million to the City of Costa Mesa for landscaping projects
Commissioners also discussed the new Buy America provision under the federal Moving Ahead for Progres in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) that ensures transportation infrastructure projects are built with American-made products.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the new provision now requires Buy America be implemented in contracts with utility companies for utility relocation services.
However, several utility companies that are in the process of relocating utilities are not yet ready to meet this provision, and may not be able to meet the Buy America requirement for as long as 18 months, said Caltrans Right-of-Way Chief Brent Green.
This has resulted in project delays statewide, with nine state projects and 39 local-agency projects delayed in the near-term, Green said.
Representatives from utility companies including Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison participated in the discussion to try to arrive at a resolution and become more proactive in understanding and responding to the new law.
