SAN DIEGO–Californians will be driving on smoother roads, safer bridges, and enjoying the benefits of enhanced transit thanks to $334 million in new funding allocated to 53 projects by the California Transportation Commission.
The allocations include approximately $165 million to repair bumpy pavement, preserve roads that are in good condition from worsening, and upgrade bridges to make them safer and stronger. Most of California’s highways are more than a half-century old, and they carry nearly half of the nation’s container freight – heavy loads that pound our highways more than any other state.
“To get the most bang for the buck for taxpayers, Caltrans targets dollars where they are most effective – pavement preservation,” Dougherty said. “Every $1 spent on preventive pavement maintenance saves Californians $11 that would have been spent on future pavement repairs.”
Currently, 84 percent, or 42,000 lane miles of California highways are in good operating condition. Caltrans’ goal is to reach 90 percent by 2023, which is a challenge as funding is declining and highways are aging. In 2013, Caltrans repaired 76,808 potholes on the Golden State’s 50,000 highway lane miles. This was down nearly 100,000 potholes from a few years prior due to Caltrans’ repaving efforts.
The allocations also include $64 million from Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved by voters in 2006. To date, more than $17 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes.
The remaining funding allocations came from assorted transportation accounts funded by state and federal dollars.
Some of the notable projects that received funding support include nearly 1.8 million to repair slope erosion on Interstate 805 at the San Ysidro Underpass to Beyer Boulevard and also from Del Sol Boulevard to Palm Avenue.
The region received $800,000 to relocate utilities for future construction of northbound connectors from State Route 905 and future State Route 11 to State Route 125.
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