A new 25-year plan has identified $638.6 billion in transportation improvements for Southern California, including major projects in the counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura.

Devised by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the Connect SoCal, 2020-2045 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy is a regional plan to improve mobility, meet air quality goals, create economic opportunities and enhance quality of life in the six counties and 191 cities that make up SCAG.

Taking into account that the region’s is population set to grow by 3.6 million over the next 25 years, the Connect SoCal strategy is focused on providing future “solutions for how the region will connect internally, to the rest of the nation, and to the world.”

The SCAG region covers more than 38,000 square miles, over 1,600 miles of freeways and expressways, over 100 miles of urban rail lines, over 4,000 miles of bikeways, and six major airports. The plan’s core vision is centered on “maintaining and better managing the transportation network we have for moving people and goods, while expanding mobility choices through land-use decisions and increasing investment in transit and complete streets.”

With that vision in mind, SCAG planners spent four years analyzing data and working with local governments, county transportation commissions (CTCs), tribal governments and local communities to develop Connect SoCal. The resulting plan incorporates a combination of transportation and land use strategies that help the region achieve state greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and federal Clean Air Act requirements, preserve open space areas, improve public health and roadway safety, support vital goods movement industry and utilize resources more efficiently.

At the heart of Connect SoCal are over 4,000 transportation projects, including highway improvements, bridge replacements, railroad grade separations and new transit hubs. As an important planning document for the region, Connect SoCal will allow sponsors of these projects to qualify for federal funding.

The Connect SoCal Plan Summary is available here

Source: Connect SoCal