California Transportation Commission funds high-occupancy vehicle lanes
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) on May 19th awarded $65 million for high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on Interstate 80 from west of Interstate 5 to Watt/Longview where the new lanes will connect to the existing HOV lanes to Placer County. Construction on the project is scheduled to start in March 2011. The funds come from nearly $190 million in northern California cost savings from projects funded by Proposition 1B, the voter-approved bond measure from 2006.
The funding through the CTC is especially timely in closing a large funding gap and making it possible to coordinate construction of the HOV lanes with highway rehabilitation investments along the corridor; a total of $171 million will be invested. Construction activities are anticipated to begin once the CTC funding is secured in the fall. The high-occupancy vehicle lanes are part of the Sacramento region’s
Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2035, but were not expected to be complete until 2015. The CTC funding helps the delivery timeline considerably and makes it possible to transfer nearly $100 million in Measure A funding for the I-80 HOV lanes to the I-5 HOV project, thereby moving up the delivery of that project as well. High-occupancy vehicle lanes, commonly known as carpool lanes, help the region’s freeway system, by making travel easier for carpoolers and also allowing for commuter buses to offer improved service.
The CTC’s action on the CMIA savings also included $3.5 million for the El Dorado County Transportation Commission to extend HOV lanes further east in El Dorado County.
SACOG coordinates transportation planning, funding and project delivery for Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba counties and the cities within them. SACOG also engages elected officials in land use and other regional issues.