Yes on Prop 6 would eliminate funding for Ventura County infrastructure projects.
It’s easy to put a price tag on a lot of things, but funding for Ventura County infrastructure projects shouldn’t be one of them. As the Ventura County Star pointed out, a location where a notably fatal accident occurred had been a proposed site for a bridge since the 1990s. The money to fund its construction was never there until SB 1.
If paying 12 cents more could save a life, it should seem well worth the investment that the gas tax contributes to improved infrastructure and public safety. If Prop 6 were to pass, however, once again public safety would be pushed to the back burner. As city council members stated, “The truth is, there is no tomorrow when it comes to fixing our roads, highways and bridges.”
Ventura County places importance on safety
The $402.4 million that Ventura County will receive from SB 1 over 10 years would go toward finally constructing the Rice Avenue bridge over the railroad tracks in Oxnard in an effort to prevent future car and train crashes. Monies would also fund 25 projects slated for improving safety on local roads and bridges as well as 15 safety improvement projects for pedestrians and bicyclists.
For example, building sidewalks on Conejo School Road and Willow Lane will provide a safe route to Conejo Elementary School and Colina Middle School. It will also provide safe access to the regional transit located on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Safety features will be added to sidewalks serving Montalvo Elementary School and Portola Elementary School as well.
In the streets, measures such as upgraded street signs and new traffic monitoring systems on Victoria Avenue from Telephone Road to SR 126, Johnson Drive from Bristol Road to US 101 and Ralston Street from Portola Road to Victoria Avenue also help increase safety.
Infrastructure improvements in Ventura County
In Ventura County, 93 percent of streets and roads have pavement conditions rated fair or worse. SB1 funds are slated to go toward repaving local streets in Simi Valley, including sections of Knollhaven Street, Hudspeth Avenue, Heywood Street, Hampton Avenue, Hagen Court, Burnside Street, Ashley Drive, Borden Avenue, and Brandon Avenue. Another 34 miles of local streets in Thousand Oaks and sections of SR 23 and SR 101 between the Moorpark and Thousand Oaks would also get repaved.
Research shows it costs eight times more to fix a road than to maintain it. If Prop 6 ends funding now, trying to upgrade and repair Ventura County’s many poorly rated roads will cost even more the longer projects are put off.
Learn more about Ventura County transportation projects
SB 1 can make an impact in Ventura County, allowing for upgrades to infrastructure and improvements to roadways, bridges and other transportation. Yes on Proposition 6 puts it all at risk, including the public safety. Learn more about all the infrastructure projects planned in Ventura County and why it is so important to vote NO on Prop 6 this November.
