State Lets Transportation Monies

By Neil Farrell
A troublesome stretch of Hwy 1 will finally have the money to get moved inland after the California Transportation Commission allocated $174.8 million to 85 transportation projects statewide to repair aging roads and bridges, alleviate traffic delays and support job growth, the CTC announced last week.
These allocations included nearly $19 million from the Active Transportation Program that will go towards 50 bike and pedestrian projects throughout the state, though none are in San Luis Obispo County.
“Preserving, rebuilding and expanding the state’s transportation infrastructure is key to improving the state’s mobility for decades to come,” said Caltrans Director, Malcolm Dougherty. “Not only is it critical to California’s economy, but investments like these mean a better future for all Californians.”
The newly allocated funding includes $124 million from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program for 24 projects that will preserve and protect the state highway system. These capital improvements include transportation safety projects, pavement repair and preservation work and upgrades to bridges throughout the state.
Among the approved projects was $20.7 million to realign 2.8 miles of Hwy 1 from north of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse to the Arroyo De La Cruz Bridge in SLO County.
“This realignment will move the highway 475 feet inland away from the eroding shoreline and will include the construction of three bridges to maintain the structural integrity of the highway,” CTC said.
That stretch of roadway sits precariously close to the shoreline and during strong storms or high winds splashes onto the roadway, flooding at times during strong storms.
With predicted sea level rise due to climate change, it was anticipated to eventually be washed over on a regular basis. Caltrans has spent millions shoring up the roadway with rip-rap and a seawall but the ultimate solution has always been to move the roadway.
“At Caltrans, we have a ‘fix-it-first’ mentality, and are continually working to ensure California’s taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck by targeting dollars where they are most effective — preventative maintenance,” said Dougherty. “For example, every $1 spent on preventative pavement maintenance saves Californians approximately $10 that would have been spent on expensive pavement repairs.”
The allocations include $27.1 million from Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved by voters in 2006. To date more than $18 billion in Prop. 1B funds have been spent for transportation projects. The remaining $4.5 million in allocations came from assorted transportation accounts funded by State and Federal tax dollars.