On June 23 the California Transportation Commission (CTC) allocated $825 million in new funding to 92 highway, transit, and rail projects that will strengthen California’s economy and upgrade the state’s vast transportation system.
The allocations included nearly $9 million from Proposition 1B, a 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. To date, the state has allocated nearly $8 billion in Proposition 1B funds.
“From one end of the state to the other, transportation projects are providing jobs and improving mobility for people and businesses in California,” said Caltrans Acting Director Malcolm Dougherty.
Lake County will receive $6.15 million for a project to repave about three miles of Highways 29 and 53 in Lower Lake, Caltrans reported.
Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie said the project will repave Highway 53 from the junction of Highway 29 and 53 to 40th Avenue. There also will be repaving done on Highway 29 on either side of the intersection of Highways 29 and 53.
There also will be some guardrail repairs, Frisbie added.
The goal is to improve ride quality, prevent further deterioration of the road's surface, extend the roadway life and minimize costly repairs, according to the project list.
Frisbie said the paving project will extend to the south end of another, separate project to rehabilitate Highway 53 and install a traffic signal at the Olympic Drive intersection.
The list of projects also included $236,000 for a pedestrian and bicycle safety outreach program – with emphasis on areas where the state highway is the main street – in Lake, Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties.
In March Lake County received $13.3 million to repave sections of Highways 29 and 175, as Lake County News has reported.
Other notable projects around the North Coast include several in Mendocino County, including $9 million for a project that will replace the Greenwood Creek Bridge on Highway 1 near Elk with a wider bridge that will include a protected pedestrian walkway; $9.9 million to repave about 20 miles of Highway 128 from near Boonville to the Sonoma County line; $300,000 for road improvements to reduce collisions near Willits; and $3 million to remove a bypassed northern portion of Highway 101 as part of minimizing the manmade features along the south fork of the Eel River, which has received “wild and scenic” designation.
Among the largest dollar value projects approved statewide include two notable design-build projects in Los Angeles County that received $526 million in allocations: the Gerald Desmond Bridge ($470 million) and the Interstate 10/Interstate 605 Direct Connector ($56 million).
Design-build streamlines a project by overlapping design and construction to speed up construction and potentially reduce costs, Caltrans said. Design-build is currently being used in 32 other states.
Caltrans obtained design-build authority in February 2009 with the passage of Senate Bill 4 (second extraordinary session).
The legislation established a demonstration program, which allows 10 design-build projects for Caltrans and five for local transportation agencies, subject to authorization by the CTC.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .