Caltrans has awarded $40.5 million to local agencies for transportation projects statewide. The grant money will be used for planning on projects that will reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of climate change.
Among the grants awarded were nearly $31 million in Sustainable Communities grants, broken down as follows: $18 million for 53 local and regional multimodal transportation and land use planning projects, and $12.5 million for metropolitan planning organizations.
Caltrans created the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program to support its mission of providing “a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability.” This mission is greatly supported by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), which provides $25 million annually to this important grant program.
The remaining $6 million in Sustainable Communities grants consists of a combination of state and federal funds. Additionally, $6 million in Adaptation Planning grants were awarded to 19 projects throughout California, and 13 projects were awarded a total of $3.8 million in federally funded Strategic Partnership grants.
“From fire preparedness to transit improvements to paving the way for a bicycle superhighway, planning is a crucial first step in creating projects that can help us prepare for the effects of climate change,” said Caltrans Director Laurie Berman.
Among the substantial amounts of funding awarded to SoCal projects are:
- $520,000 for Adaptation Planning, Southern California Regional Rail Authority – Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties
- $458,102 for San Diego Airport Transit Corridor Study – San Diego County
- $361,200 for Transit Fleet Electrification Feasibility Study for the Arroyo Verdugo Region Transit Operators – Los Angeles County
Source: Caltrans
